a/. ' **■ T
THE
3rcf)aeolocpcal journal*
PUBLISHED UNDER THE DIRECTION OF
THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE
STfie Archaeological Institute of ©teat iStttatn anto Jtelanto,
FOR THE ENCOURAGEMENT AND PROSECUTION OF
RESEARCHES INTO THE ARTS AND MONUMENTS
&{je (JBarlg anti Jfttotile &ges.
VOLUME XII.
LONDON:
PUBLISHED AT THE OFFICE OF THE INSTITUTE, 26, SUFFOLK
STREET, PALL MALL EAST.
(DISTRIBUTED GRATUITOUSLY TO SUBSCRIBING MEMBERS.)
TO BE OBTAINED THROUGH ALL BOOKSELLERS, 1 KOM (TDK PRINTERS)
MESSRS. BRADBURY AND EVANS, W1IITEFRIARS.
MDCCCLV.
Thi Centra] Committki ol the Archaeological Institutk. desire tliat it should
In- distinctl) - that they are not responsible for any statements or opinions
m in the Arc! ! Journal, the authors of the several memoirs and com-
munications being alone answerable for the Bame.
!
CONTENTS.
PAGE
Introductory Address. By the Rev. J. H. Marsden, B.D 1
Notice of a Bronze Relique discovered at Leckhampton, Gloucestershire. By
Albert Way, M.A 11
On Colouring Statues. By Richard Westmacott, Jun., R.A., F.R.S. . . 22
On the Life and Death of Earl Godwine (continued from Vol. XL, p. 330). By
Edward Freeman, M.A ... 47
On the Book of Devotions, deposited by Cardinal Howard in the Library of the
Dominican Convent at Bornheim. By Joseph Hunter, V.P.S.A. . . 65
Notices of Roman Shafts discovered at Chesterford, Essex. By the Hon.
R. C. Neville, F.S.A 109
The Pai-liaments of Cambridge. By the Rev. C. H. Hartshorne, M.A. . . 127
The "Hales " at the New Temple on the occasion of the Knighting of Prince
Edward. • By W. S. W . . . . 137
Norton Church, in the County of Durham. By W. Hylton Dyer Longstaffe,
F.S.A 141
King's College Chapel Windows, Cambridge. By the Rev. W. J. Bolton. . . 153
Roman Antiquities from the North of England in the Libraries of Trinity and
St. John's Colleges, Cambridge. By the Rev. J. Collingwood Bruce, LL.D,,
F.S.A. 213
The Monasteries of Shropshire. — Lilleshall Abbey. By the Rev. Robert W.
Eyton, M.A 229
Notice of a Flemish Sepulchral Brass, at Wensley, Yorkshire. By the Rev. James
Raine, Jun 238
The Church of St. Mary the Great, Cambridge. By the Rev. Edward
Venables, M.A 245, 338
Examples of Medieval Seals. Seals preserved at Wisby in Gottland. By the
Rev. F. Spurrell, M.A 256
Burial and Cremation. By J. M. Kemble 309
Artistic Notes on the Windows of King's College, Chapel, Cambridge. By
George Scharf, Jun., F.S.A 356
Notice of a " Moon," a relique of Municipal Ceremony, at Chichester. By Albert
Way, M.A . . 374
Original Documents : —
Letter relating to the Wars of Edward III. in France, and Public Affairs
in 1346. Communicated by William Clayton, Esq. ... 73
Agreement between the Dean and Chapter of St. Paul's, London, and
Walter the Orgoner, relating to a Clock in St. Paul's Church. Coin-
municated by Sir F. Madden, K.B 173
iv I ONTENTS.
PA08
Original Documents conditio. J.
Inventories of Chun 3hff ury, uml Proceedings respecting
them in the reign of Edward VI. Communicated by Joseph
Hintik. Be .. V.l'.s. \ 269
Original Letter addresse I I • Benry IV.. Bang of England, by Elizabeth,
Du( FB reria,1400. Communicated by Ed wabd A. Bond, Esq. 377
Proceedings at the Monthly V the] ate . . . 76,178, 275
Annual Report of the Auditors 203
g, at Shrewsbury 380
• new. Publications : — Sussex Archaeological Collections,
Latiquarian Society, Reports and Communi-
l. 1\ '.. p. L05. Antiquities of Shropshire, by the Rev, It. W.
i; i in Saxondom, by J. Yonge
;. Brick and Marble in the Middle Ages, by G. Edmund
11. Eandbook of th the Middle Ages, translated from
i nch "I'M. Jules Labarte, p. 408.
Abchjeoloqioax Intelliqenoe 107,212,307, 422
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
PACK
Bronze Frame of a Head-piece ? found at Leckhampton ..... 8
Cap, found at Ascheraden, Livonia . . . . . . . . . 14
Arched Crowns, and Head-piece, &c. Two cuts 17
Helmets, from Trajan's Column 18
■ worn by the Sarmatians ....... 19
■ from a MS. at Stuttgart 20
from the Painted Chamber, Westminster ...... 20
found in the Isle of Negropont 21
Koman Sepulchre at Caerwent 76
Ditto, Section ............. 77
Cruciform Conduit, Malvern Wells 83
Bronze Spear-head, found in Devonshire . 84
St. Gobnet's Cross, co. Cork ... 86
Roman Inscription from Combe Down, Bath 91
Bone Knife-handle, Roman, found at Chesterford * 112
Small Tun of red ware, ibid 114
Bronze Comb, ibid ib.
Bronze Patera, ibid. ............ ib.
Glass Ampulla, ibid. . . . . .115
Norton Church, co. Durham, Window in Tower . . . . . . . 145
Chancel Arch .......... ib.
Outline of Interior Plan 147
Cross on a Sculptured Slab from Jarrow ... • , . . . ib.
Heraldic Bearings, Effigy in Norton Church 148
Sculptor's Mark 1 149
Sculptured Fragment, from Hartlepool ... . . . . ib.
Cross, near Norton ...... ... 151
Cross, found at Carlisle Cathedral 130
Alabaster Tablet, representing the Head of St. John Baptist, &c. . . . 1S5
i his and the thrco following illustrations, the Institute is indebted to the kindness of the
Hon. K. C. Neville.
LIST <>F ILLUSTRATIONS.
Small Urn, found in Dor3ct
Sculptured Fragment, at Stainton-le Street, two cuts .
Roma: . found in Bases, three cuts
. Found at C Casl le
Silver Brooch, found in Kent
, found at Bremenium
— Riaingham .
at 1; • ogham
- d>, found am .
Risingham
, found at Risingham ....
found at Halton ....
Roman Altar, found ;it Carvorjui
found at Ribcheater .....
found at Rib ulptures on
by, seal of the Ghiild of St. Canute
seal of the Guild of St. Lawrence
fraternity of St Nicholas
of the Germans in Gottland
L of the Guild of St James
seal of the Mayor of the Guild of All Saints . . . .
— seal of Brother Gerard of Gottland + . . . . .
Fibula, found at Painswick .
DrunshilL Oxfordshire, two cuts
• 11 deMontfort
i (Tanfaunt, attached in an unusual manner .
Palimpsest brass escutcheon, found al Betchworth . . . . . .
: iund at (Nottingham
I Oak Chest, St Mary' the Great, Cambridge t
Sketch of : I rtiiimt ..t' a Window al I. I ',.'.] ( 'Impel, ( 'amlirid^e
be L) To Gum
Muminated Mss. in B Plate 2.) . . To hoe
i bapel i Plate 8) . . To hoe
the ' k>ld< ii 1 Prom a window at Kin I I lhapel,
' ............
ilum Bumaneo Salvai i ......
f the Block Book "Speculum BumansB Salvationis " (Plate 4)
To hoe
■
i ■ ■ [lustra
M | I I • | . I
193
196
197
201
202
215
217
219
221
222
223
224
225
22(3
228
257
258
259
260
ib.
262
263
279
ib.
281
293
293
294
866
861
ib.
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. vii
PACK
Ditto, " Biblia Pauperuni " (Plate 5) To face ib.
Lantern of State, "the Moon," at Chichester To face 374
Ditto, handle by which it was carried 37o
Ground-plan of Haughinond Abbey, Shropshire 397
Five woodcuts from " Sussex Archaeological Collections." Vol. VII.
Five woodcuts from the " Antiquities of Shropshire," by the Rev. R. W. Eyton.
Seven woodcuts from " Brick and Marble iu the Middle Ages," by George E. Street.
Ten woodcuts from the " Handbook of the Arts of the Middle Aces."
flT&e Archaeological journal
MARCH, 1855.
INTRODUCTORY ADDRESS.*
In addressing a Society which has devoted itself for so
long a period and with so much success to the pursuits of
Archaeology, it cannot be necessary for me to occupy time
by saying much either in explanation or in praise of this
particular line of study. In fact, the study of archaeology
is now generally accepted and understood, not only by its
admirers, but by the world in general, as an extended and
improved form of the study of history. It is the study
of history, not only from written documents, not only from
chronicles and traditions, but from chronicles and traditions
elucidated by contemporaneous monuments, by tangible and
substantial relics, the productions of ancient coinage, sculp-
ture, and architecture ; and, — in the case of Greek and
Roman history, — not only by these, but by an invaluable
series of commemorative inscriptions still extant upon marble
and bronze.
With regard to some of the great nations, indeed, we
have no other means of becoming acquainted with their
history, than through such material records. Of the ancient
history of Egypt how very little do we know excepting
from her monuments. What do we know of Assyria, ex-
cepting from casual allusions in the Old Testament, and
from her recently discovered monuments'? And even in
the case of Greece and Rome, precious as are the literary
treasures of those nations which have come down to us, we
possess very little of strictly contemporaneous history. Time
» This discourse was delivered by the Disney Professor, the Rev.J.H.Marsden, B.D.,
on the occasion of the opening meeting, at the Annual Meeting of the Institute held
in Cambridge, July itli, 1854,
VOL. XII. U
2 INTRODUCTORY ADDR] SS
has swept away full one-half j while, of thai which remains,
much severe criticism is required in the separation of the
trust-worth? from the fabulous, and all, without exception,
stands in ueed of the light afforded by the study of monu-
ments. The <lny is coming, when it will be confessed thai
we have Learned more of the religious worship and the
political relations of the independent states of Greece from
inscriptions and coins, than from poets and historians. How
much has been brought to light by the monuments, and
especially by the coins, of Magna Grascia and Sicily! Take
th»- case, for instance, of the ancienl city of Posidonia. Of
this city we know little or nothing from written history,
excepting that in Roman times it was celebrated by poets
for it- genial climate and its roses : —
•• biferiqui rosaria Pa
But when the traveller describes to us its magnificent tem-
ples, and the numismatist displays to us its long series of
beautiful coins, we have unquestionable proof thai it rivalled
the greatesl cities of Magna Graecia in population, in wealth,
in commerce, and in the arts ; and that under the name of
Paastum it flourished to a later date than almost any of
them.
To come nearer home. How scanty would be our know-
ledge of the State of SOcietj in our own island, not only in
its more barbarous age, but even during its occupation by
the Romans, if we had n<»t the means <>i ascertaining it
from monuments. The state of Britain under the Romans is
dow tolerably familiar to us : but we have learned it nol from
books, hut from an investigation of their works, their roads,
their houses, their hypocausts, their earthenware, then- coins,
their ornaments and utensils, their weapons, and the vast
multitude of other miscellaneous relics which they have left
behind.
The monuments of ancienl art are of many different
kind--: they are found wherever man has existed on the
globe; and wherever they are found, there is a field for the
Archaeologist. Life is not long enough to study them all—
to budy those of our tiation -scarcely ei en
of one class. No one, however energetic and hopeful,
can enter into these pursuits withoul feeling the hopeless
impo Ability of carrying oul the separate studies which a
INTRODUCTORY ADDRESS. 3
general view of archaeology must comprehend. It requires
a greater amount of many various kinds of knowledge than
one person can hope to possess. This is, doubtless, the
reason why it has not usually been admitted into the ordi-
nary course of study ; and it was, doubtless, this considera-
tion, which induced the founder of a Professorship of
Archaeology in the University of Cambridge, to restrict the
duties of his Professor to the study and illustration of one
branch, — that branch being the archaeology of Greece and
Rome ; a branch more immediately connected than any
other with the classical studies pursued in our University.
Perhaps it will not be altogether out of place — although
I am aware that it is ascending to a higher point in the
stream of time than your Society has fixed upon for its
operations — if I briefly allude to the remains of Greek art
which are preserved in Cambridge.
In the possession of Trinity College are several Greek
inscriptions upon marble, of some importance. The prin-
cipal of these, is one well known as the Sandwich Marble,
having been brought to England by the Earl of Sandwich,
from Athens, in the year 1739. It contains a list of con-
tributions to the expenses incurred by the expedition for
the lustration of the island Delos, in the third year of the
88th Olympiad. Another is a decree made at Ilium, and
brought by Mr. Edward Wortley Montague from Sigeum,
in 1766 : it was presented to the College by his son-in-law,
the Marquis of Bute.
In the vestibule of the Public Library, are certain inscrip-
tions and pieces of sculpture, the principal part of which
were brought to England by Dr. Edward Daniel Clarke.
One of these inscriptions, which was brought from the Troad,
was believed by Porson to be nearly as old as the Arch-
onship of Eucleides, the era at which a well-known change
took place in Greek palaeography, about 403 B.C. Another
inscription is a sepulchral one, brought from Athens, to the
memory of a certain Eucleides of Hermione, whom Clarke
linnsclf believed to be the celebrated geometrician ; and,
under that impression, he thought that he had found for the
stele, a congenial resting-place, among the mathematicians
of this University. But there is no evidence whatever that
this Eucleides was the geometrician, and the probability is
decidedly against it.
J- [NTRODUCTORI A.DDBBSS.
One of the most remarkable of Dr. Clarke's marbles is a
mutilated statue of Pan, which was found in a garden close
by the grotto sacred to Tan and Apollo, below the Acropolis
of Athens. As it is known that a Btatue of Tan was dedi-
I by Miltiades, in gratitude for the services supposed to
have beeD rendered by him in the battle of Marathon, and
as this Btatue is of a Btyle of art corresponding to that
date, it is by no means impossible that it may be the
identical figure upon which Simonides wrote an Mypa^na
which is now extant.
With regard to the colossal marble bust which was pro-
nounced by Dr. Clarke to be a parr of the statue el' the
( of Eleusis, it is in be feared that he went beyond the
bounds of that cautious discretion which is bo properly pre-
scribed to the archaeologist. That the figure was brought
from certain ruins near the site of the temple of Ceres at
- no doubt, and certain travellers who had
pved it there in the seventeenth and eighteenth cen-
turi( the goddess herself. But more
have held a contrary opinion. They have
_ from the position in which it was found,
and from certain appearances on the surface of the marble,
that it v. or architectural decoration, like the
tin- Erectheium. It will he allowed, however,
'■veil by • ritics who withhold their acquiescence from
Dr. Clarke's rather too positive assertion, that the bust is
a most interesting relic of Greek antiquity.
The Malcolm sarcophagus in the Fitzwilliam Museum,
described by Mr. Pashley in In- "Travels in Crete." and
equently brought to England and presented to the
University by Sir Pulteney Malcolm, i^ ascribed by Dr.
W'aa'j. n to the last half of the second century of the
Christian era. The Bubjeci of the Bculpture, which seems
to be the return of Bacchus from India, is treated in a man
nor spirit. id and original ; ami with tin- i tception ot one <>r
lacuna, it is in an extremely good state of preservation.
I must n<»t omit to menti :ertain Greek inscriptions
ntlj presented t<. the University by Captain Spratt,
th<- commander of one of Her Majesty's surveying ships
i <.ii the coast of Greece. Three of those wore
I by him in the island of ( !rete, ami one of these
of '■■ rj early date ; I ho inscription four.' read from
INTRODUCTORY ADDRESS. 5
the right hand to the left. But the most interesting and valu-
able of Captain Spratt's marbles is an inscribed slab from
the Troad. This inscription is valuable on two accounts.
In the first place it is valuable as having been discovered
among the ruins of a temple, first pointed out by Captain
Spratt, which is satisfactorily proved to be the temple of
Apollo Smintheus, mentioned by Strabo and other writers,
but altogether unknown to modern travellers until lighted
upon by Captain Spratt within the last twelve months.
That the remains are those of the temple of Apollo, Colonel
Leake, than whom we can have no higher authority, lias
pronounced himself to be perfectly satisfied. In fact, an
inscription found there by Captain Spratt, places the point
beyond all doubt. The second point of interest connected
with this inscribed slab, is the subject of the inscription.
It commemorates the fact of a certain Greek, by name
Cassander, having been presented by each of eighteen or
twenty of the cities and states of Greece with a golden crown.
Each city is mentioned separately, and underneath the
words Xpuo-e<j> 2T€<p(M/(«> in connection with the name of
each city, is a representation of the crown itself, which
was in the form of a chaplet of olive-leaves. To the
custom of presenting a distinguished Greek citizen wTith
a golden crown I need not do more than advert. We
all rememember the orations Ylepl 2re(pdvov of the two
great orators of Athens. And, if I mistake not, the effect
of a sight of this inscribed marble, would be the same
upon any one engaged in reading those orations, as the
effect of the celebrated Potida3an k~Cy pawa in the British
Museum would be upon a person reading the account of the
skirmish at Potidaia, in the first book of Thucydidcs ; —
namely, to impress his mind with a sense of the reality of
what he is reading, far stronger than any which could be
made by the mere fact of his finding it recorded in the
book. — " Magis movemur," says Cicero, " quam si quando
eorum ipsorum aut facta audiamus, aut scriptum aliquod
leffamus."
It is only right that I should take this opportunity of
stating that Captain Spratt's presentation of these marbles
to the University, was made at the suggestion of his friend
Colonel Leake.
Of the numerous collection of ancient marbles presented
0 INTRODUCTORY ADDRESS.
to the University in 1850, by Mr. Disney, it is unnecessary
for me to give any minute description, as the donor himself
has already done it in a very able and lucid manner in his
work entitled "Museum Disneianum." By coming forward
while tlic space was yet unoccupied, Mr. Disney secured for
his marbles a position which future benefactors may look
upon with envy, but to which, nevertheless, the example
which be was the first to set, on so extensive a scale, fairly
entitles him. And we may venture to express to my friend1
our hope that at a very far distant period, when the beau-
tiful edifice in which tiny are deposited, shall itself be the
subject of curious investigation to future archaeologists, his
oame may still survive, as that of the earliest patron of
archaeological studies in the University of Cambridge.
J. II. MARSDEN, B.D.
1 Mr. Disney being then present.
NOTICE OF A BROXZE RELIQUE, ASSIGNED TO THE LATER
ROMAN OR THE SAXON AGE, DISCOVERED AT LECKHAMPTON,
GLOUCESTERSHIRE.
During the autumn of the year 1844 a discovery occur-
red at Leckhampton, Gloucestershire, in a district full of
vestiges of early occupation, which excited considerable
interest. A short statement, communicated at that time,
was published in the first volume of this Journal, and the
subject was noticed in other archaeological publications. The
novel feature of the discovery consisted in a bronze frame,
supposed to have been attached to a head-piece of leather
or felt, a purpose to which, by the dimensions and general
fashion it appeared to be adapted. It was considered by the
late Sir Samuel Meyrick to have been the British " Pen-
ffestyn," possibly from the position of the skeleton being
described as " doubled up," as frequently noticed in inter-
ments of the earliest age, or from its having been found
near a supposed British fortress.
Other antiquaries have regarded it, however, as an Anglo-
Saxon relique, a supposition to which Mr. Roach Smith, in
his " Collectanea Antiqua," seems inclined to assent, although
conclusive evidence may be wanting.1 The Abbe Cochet,
also, in the second edition of his valuable " Normandie
Souterraine," has, without hesitation, admitted this object as
a coiffure or casque Savon?
The attention of archaeologists has recently been directed
to this singular relique, through the kindness of Capt. Henry
Bell, of Cheltenham, in whose possession it has been pre-
served. At the request of Mr. Allies, he sent it for exhi-
bition at the meeting of the Institute in December last. No
detailed investigation of its age and character having been
1 Collect. Antiqua, vol. ii. p. 2'M), where Cochet 1ms found no example of any head-
a representation of the bronze frame is piece of the Frankish period. He notices
given. at some length the remains of sift
2 Normandie Sontorraine, 2nd edit. which certain antiquaries have erroneously
18.5.5, pp. 17, 393 ; it is remarkable that described as the remains of some protec-
in his extensive researches the Abbe* tion for the head.
VOL. XII. C
10 NOTICE OF A BRONZE REL1QUE
given, 1 have availed myself of the obliging- permission of
Capt. Bell, to offer a more accurate representation than
hitherto published. In the advanced state of information
regarding vestiges of the later Roman period and of that
immediately succeeding, upon which valuable light has Itch
thrown by the exertions of the Hon. Richard Neville, Mr.
Wylie, Mr. Roach Smith, Mi-. Bateman, and other antiqua-
ries, it appears desirable to invite attention anew to this
unique relique, ami that its real age and purpose should be
ascertained.
To those who are acquainted with the picturesque and
undulated Hank of the Cotswold Hills, to the south of
Cheltenham; overlooking the broad fertile plains of Glouces-
sbire, it can be no matterof surprise to find abundant traces
indicating thai the locality had been successively occupied by
,-i considerable population in British, Roman, and Saxon times.
Of th^ earlier period, vestiges present themselves in nume-
rous harr<-\\s along the margin of the higher ground, of
which some have been examined by Lysons, and more re-
cently by Mr. Gomonde and other members of the Glouces-
tershire Archaeological Society ; in the encampments also on
Crickley Hill and the height above Leckhampton. Near the
former of those, at Dry Hill Farm, distant about 3^ miles
from Cheltenham, a Roman villa of considerable extent
was excavated about L 849, by Capt. Bell and Mr. \V. H.
Gomonde, by whom an account was printed for presentation
to bis friends. South-easl of that spot, near the Ermine
Street, is the site of the villa at Witcomb, explored by
Lysons; similar remains occur between the Ermine Street
and Cubberley, and other traces of Roman occupation might
be noticed, [nterments have been found on Wistley Hill,
near the road to Cubberley, on Cricklev Hill, and at several
other places. At Cubberley there are vestiges, it is believed,
of a Saxon village.
The extensive camp on Leckhampton Hill occupies a
commanding position in the chain of ancient encampments
which extended through the south western parts of (don
rehire from the A.von to Bredon Hill, the frontier for-
n has been supposed, of the Dobuni} It was just
of the camps on Leek* of sncienl hill fortresses in Gloucester-
iii Hill sud ' i :■•!. I. _v Hill in tlu< Hliiri; above mentioned, AjrchsBologia.
Mi iioir b\ Mr. Lloyd Dakei on the chain vol. nix. p. 171.
POUND AT LECKHAMPTON, GfLOUCESTERSHIBE. 11
below that camp, near the road leading over the higher
ground towards Stroud, that the discovery which is the sub-
ject of this notice occurred, as related in the following state-
ment received in October, 1844, from the Rev. Lambert
]'». Larking : —
"A few weeks since, some labourers, in digging for gravel
on the hill above the Manor-house of Leckhampton, about
two miles from Cheltenham, suddenly came upon a skeleton,
in a bank at the side of the high road leading from Chelten-
ham to Bath. It was lying doubled up, about 3 feet under
the surface ; it was quite perfect, not even a tooth wanting.
On the skull, fitting as closely as if moulded to it, was the
frame of a cap, consisting of a circular hoop with two curved
bars crossing each other in a knob at the top of the head.
This knob, finishing in a ring, seems to have been intended
for a feather or some such military ensign. The rim at the
base is nearly a perfect circle, and the bars are curved, so
that the entire framework is itself [semi] globular. The
bars are made apparently of some mixed metal, brass fused
with a purer one ; they are thin and pliable, and grooved ;
the knob and ring are brass, covered with verdigris, while
the bars are smooth and free from rust. When first found,
there was a complete ehin-chain — of this only three links
remain, those next the cap are very much worn. The skull
is tinged at the top with green, from the pressure of the
metal, and in other parts blackened, as though the main
material of the cap had been felt, and the bars added to
stiffen it. They are hardly calculated, from their slightness,
to resist a sword cut, but the furrowed surface gives them a
finish, and proves that they must have been outside the felt.
Nothing else, whatever, was found. A black tinge was dis-
tinctly traceable all round the earth in which the body lay." 4
A sketch of this bronze frame-work was kindly sent to
me at a later time by Mr. Gomonde, and engraved in this
Journal.5 It was described by him as found near a Roman
burying-ground ; Sir S. Meyrick, however, to whom it had
been shown by Mr. Gomonde, considered it, as has been
already mentioned, to be the British " Penffestyn," 6 or
skull-cap, mentioned in the Laws of Howcl Dda.
4 Communication from Mr. Larking to s Vol. iii., ]>. .'!.*>•_'.
Mr. T. Wright, Arehaeul. Journal, vol. i., fi In the Glossary of terms of British
Dress ami Armour, by the Rev. John
12 NOTICE OF A BRONZE RELIQUE
Excavations were made on the adjacent part of Leck-
hampton Hill, and part id" an iron bridle-bit, with a ring for
attaching the rein, 3-J inches in diameter (figured in Mr.
Gomonde's "Notes on Cheltenham," pi. xi.), an iron spear-
head, and a curved implement of singular fashion were
found, with fragments of urns of glossy Mack ware, formed
with small perforated handles as if for suspension. These
reliques were disinterred between the quarry where the
bronze skull-cap was found, and the road to Birdlip.'
I as of Constantino and broken pottery, assigned to the
Roman age, were discovered in the immediate vicinity.
Another remarkable interment was found near the spot
where the skeleton with the bronze frame had been brought
to light. In this instance, the body had been deposited in
clay, and the remains were much decayed by moisture ; the
clay surrounding the skull was lull of iron studs, sufficiently
indicating, as .Mr. Gomonde believed, that the head had
been protected by a cap of singular construction, covered
over with these iron studs.8 A bronze spear-head, finely
patinated, now in ('apt. Hell's possession, may deserve men-
tion, having been found, as stated, on Leckhampton Hill.
Tip' rare occurrences of any object of armour amongst
the antiquities of the earlier periods found in our country,
whilst weapons, personal on aments and domestic appk-
ances are found in profusion, may, I would hope, justify the
detailed character of the present notices. With the excep-
tion of die bronze helmet discovered in forming the canal
iieai- Northcote Hill. Herts, and represented in the " Vtatusta
.Mmiuinenta." and another remarkable head -piece of bronze,
consisting of a -hull cap with a perforated tube of consider-
able length on its apex, found in L843, at King's Arms
Yard, Moorgate Street, London, no reliques of the like
description have fallen under my notice. The last named
Williams, of which pari in th< other antiquities discovered, in hU " Notes
Archseologia Cambrensis, the Penffestin on Cheltenham, Ancient and Medieval,"
plained to be a li Imel "Frollo Jvo, 1849. Prival ly printed.
lnii- <>ii in- forehead, so thai Irohaeol Journal, vol iii., p. S58.
u i ted on the rings of his An account <>t the examination of three
Gr. ab Arthur. Under the barroweinthi locality by Mr. Gomonde
iwi thattbi Penffestyn and Capt Bell, in December, 1844, is
tinol ran in the Journal of the Archaeological
J in of tli \ ■ I logical \ o \ ociation, vol. i. pp. 152, 164. In one
">li i. ..in I. has •■! Hi. e four perfect skeletons were found,
.;• "i li,. ancionl it* and placed side bj side, the heads to the east,
repri of the bronsi frame with the leg drawn up to the chin,
FOUND AT LECKHAMPTON, GLOUCESTERSHIRE. 13
remarkable object remains, as I believe, in the possession of
Mr. Kirkman ; it was regarded by some antiquaries as a
form of the " Penffestyn." It bears resemblance to the wpew
or cap worn by the Flamines and the Salii, and still more
closely to the head-gear seen on a votive monument found in
Styria, and given by Montfaucon.9
The bronze relique to which I would now specially invite
attention, has been already described in the account given
by Mr. Larking. I may add the following observations. The
hoop or rim is perfectly round, measuring l\ inches in each
direction. This fact has been regarded by some antiquaries
as a conclusive argument against the supposition that this
frame of metal could have formed part of any kind of head-
piece. Others, however, having carefully considered the
details of its construction, and the pliable nature of the
frame, formed of metal about one-twenty-fourth of an inch
only in thickness, are disposed to conclude that this round
form of the rim, in its actual condition, presents no such
difficulty. As, indeed, one of the plates forming this rim
bad become unsoldered, and has been re-united since the
discovery, it is possible that a slight modification of the con-
tour may have occurred, giving the perfectly round form
which we now observe. On the other hand, it should be borne
in mind, that many head-pieces, such as are worn by nations
in the East, as also some of media3val date in Europe,
are of perfectly circular form, and not shaped to the skull.1
The Roman bronze helmet found near Tring, a skull-cap,
with a wide brim behind ('() like a coal-heaver's hat, is like-
wise perfectly round.2 The constructive peculiarities, obvious
on close examination of the bronze frame found at Leck-
hampton appear sufficiently to confirm the belief that it was
a head-piece, and not as has been affirmed the upper portion
of some kind of vessel or coffer. The transverse bands would, in
the latter case, have been adjusted so as to cross each other
precisely at right angles, and divide the little dome into four
equal portions, the central knob and ring being its centre.
9 Antiqu. Expl. Supp. tome ii. p. 123, lately round, and some of the mediaeval
pi. 33, b%8. This singular head-covering very nearly so. The bronze frame, being
here appears to be worn by females. so light in construction, may very well
1 1 am indebted to Mr. Hewitt's kind- have assumed, when fitted with its lining,
ness for the confirmation of this state- a somewhat ovalised form."
Hunt On examination of the examples - Vetusta Monumenta, vol. v., pi. 26.
in the Tower Armory, he assures me that It is not quite clear whether the projecting
■• nearly all the eastern casques are abso- plate in trout or behind is deficient.
14
NOTICE OF A BBONZE RELIQUE
This, however, is not the case ; the bands are placed so that
tin' moiety <>f the frame, which would probably form the
fore-part of the cap, is considerably larger than the hind-
part, the effect being t<> throw tin- apex with its knob and
ring backwards ; tin' knob itself is likewise bo shaped as to
incline slightly in the same direction. These details can
scarcely 1"' in licated in a drawing, but they are very per-
ceptible in tin- examination of the original. The objection
has also been made, that it' the frame \\wr a eaj>. what was
the intention of tin-' ring at the topi Here it may suffice
t<> point out the precise analogy of this knoli and ring with
tin- fashion of the curious cap represented in Bahr's work on
the Sepulchral Antiquities of Livonia." (See woodcut.)
i
Thi- cap is formed of spiral bronze rings, described as
strung upon wool, and on the crown is a knob from which
ispended a small bell, like a hawk's bell, attached h\ a
ring. Tin' Livonian tombs in question, are assigned, as I
believe, to the I Xih or Kth century.
h has been stated that when the relique Benl lor our
examination by Capt. Bell was found, there was a perfect
chain Berving the purpose of a chin strap. A single ring
now remains, which may bave been pari of this : the loops
are to be seen also, to which such a chain might conve-
0 I l.ivin « Dr< i'n, Kerxes, described by Herodotus m hel-
i i tuthor ootnpan ii bran, twisted in a barbarous
n ii \ i i in. .11 I look v N. c 69
i in tin' . xpcdii ion ••)
FOUND AT LECKHAMPTON, GLOUCESTEBSHIRE. 15
niently be adjusted, and they are worn away by friction in
a manner which seems to corroborate the statement.
The object of the present notice is to invite further
inquiry, in the hope that the true intention and date of a
unique type, amongst the antiquities of bronze found in this
country, may be ascertained. No sufficient argument can be
drawn from the existing vestiges of the early inhabitants of
the locality, which, as it has been shown, was occupied by
the Dobuni, by the Roman colonists, and doubtless by the
South Mercian Saxons. The notion has, as I believe, been
commonly adopted, that this relique belongs to the Saxon
period, and this supposition is countenanced by two disco-
veries in this country of objects, apparently analogous in
their character, accompanied by remains which may confi-
dently be assigned to the Saxon age. The first discovery
to which I allude has been recorded by Sir Henry Dryden,
Bart., as having occurred near the Portway at Souldern,
Oxfordshire. A skeleton was found there in 1844, laid in
a cavity in the reck prepared for the deposit, and extended
at full length, the head W. by S. On the right side of the
head lay a pair of ornaments of bone, and about the skull
were many fragments of thin brass, which, when placed
together formed parts of two bands, the first measuring
7 in. long, and § in. wide. This, Sir Henry supposed, had
encircled the lower part of a leathern skull cap. The edges
of the leather and of this brass band were held together by
a thin concave brass binding, in the hollow of which frag-
ments of leather were still to be seen. On each side of the
helmet, attached to the brass band, was an ornamental hinge
for a leathern chin-strap. Of the other band about 1 7 in.
remained, in width one-eighth narrower than the first. It
was probably the binding of the edge where there would be
a seam, or intended to encircle the helmet close above the
other binding. On both these bands were rivets, showing
that the leather riveted was three-sixteenths thick. Nothing
else was found with the skeleton, but several urns were disin-
terred near it of the black pottery, showing the peculiar
scored and impressed ornament which characterises the
fictile ware of the Saxon age.4
o
4 See the account of Sepulchrtd remains Dryden's drawings, in Mr. Wing's An-
found at Souldern, accompanied by repre- tiquities of Steeple Aston, p. 7-.
mentations of three urns, from Sir Henry
16 NOTICE OF A BRONZE RELIQUE
To one of our most intelligent and zealous labourers in
the archaeological field, Mr. Bateman of Yolgrave, we are
indebted for the second discovery, which may aid this
enquiry as regards the date of the relique from Leck-
hampton. In this instance, however, the frame-work,
precisely similar in fashion, was of iron. It was disinterred
in a tumulus near Monyash, in Derbyshire. The frame was
formed of ribs of iroD radiating from the crown of the
head, and covered with narrow plates of horn, running in a
diagonal direction from the ribs, so as to form a herring-bone
irn : the ends were Becured by strips of horn, radiating
in like manner as the iron ribs, to which they were riveted
at intervals of about I1, inch. AH the rivets had ornamented
heads of silver on the outside, and on the front rib is a small
cross of the same metal. Upon the crown of this helmet is
the figure of a boar, of iron with bronze eyes ; and various
remains, supposed to be of defensive armour, were found
with this head-piece. These reliques, there can be little
doubt, were of the Saxon age, and they are recognised as
such by Mr. C. Roach Smith, who has given a full account
with illustrations, in his Collectanea Antiqua.8
These facts may seem to corroborate the notion that this
relique under consideration should be placed amongst Saxon
antiquities, and examples of head-coverings analogous in
their fashion may 1"' noticed on coins and in drawings in the
MSS. of that period. It may be objected thai these are
properly to be regarded as crowns, such as occur for instance
on coins of the Confessor, although very early instances of
the arched form of the regal diadem. In some instances
the cynehealm of the Anglo-Saxon king has the aspect
rather of an belmel than a crown, and appears as a conical
cap formed like that from Leckhampton with transverse
bands or ribs, and a knob or other prominent ornament on
its apex. With these royal helms may be compared that
worn by the warrior, apparently a principal officer, pour-
trayed in the Cotton MS. Tiberius, B. V., and given by Strutt
in his Horda as an example of military costume in the Xlth
• .\.i\. which occurred in Antiqua, vol. ii., p. 238. The oitationa
', i ' publi hed in the fr Beowulf, given by Mr. Roach Smith,
.1 i \ ociation, r« ;arriing the Saxon creel of iii<- boar,
rol. li ., p I olli « - 1 iii. a ari i sci i dingrj cui iou
FOUND AT LECKHAMPTON, GLOUCESTERSHIRE.
17
Arched Saxon crowns
from Csedmon, MS. Xth
century.
century.6 Amongst the singular delineations in the MS. of
Caulmon's Paraphrase, preserved in the Bodleian, and written
about the year 1000, certain head-coverings may be seen,
to be regarded probably rather as insignia of dignity than
regal, but sufficing to show that there existed at that period
on laments for the head in no slight degree analogous in
fashion to that found in Gloucestershire.
(See woodcut.) One of those here repre-
sented is worn by Lucifer.7 It must be
noticed that these are not open arched
crowns, like the royal insignia of a much
later age, but caps surrounded by a frame,
to which they seem closely fitted.
In addition to the examples supplied hj the discoveries in
our own country, which have been noticed in Oxfordshire
and Derbyshire, I have found one object only, apparently of
analogous fashion, described by foreign archaeologists. In a
tumulus at Aufsee in Bavaria, in a burial-place assigned to
the early Germanic inhabitants of the vallies near the sources
of the Maine, a skeleton was disinterred, with a frame upon
the skull, described as a kind of helm, of polished metal
like gold, and free from oxidation. On the crown of the
head, instead of any apex or means of attachment for a
crest, there was a flat round plate of the size of a thaler, on
which was engraved an ornament like a rose. This plate
formed the centre of a conical frame-work composed ot
spirally-twisted bands, united by two or more horizontal
hoops, placed at some distance apart. (See woodcut). With
this interment were deposited
heads of arrows and spears,
and a singular kind of horse-
shoe, the space within which
was plated over with iron, as
in modern times a tender foot
is sometimes protected by a
layer of felt within the rim of
the shoe. Unfortunately the
finder sold the bright metal frame for a trifle to a Jew, and no
fi Strutt's Horda, vol. i ,pl.iv. Although
the form is conical, and the apex is not
furnished with the knob, this head-piece
VOL. XII.
w ill di servos attention, in connexion with
that found at Leckhampton.
< Archseologia, vol. xxiw, plate 55.
18
NOTICE OF A BRONZE RELIQUE
accurate representation has been preserved. It is not stated
whether any trace of a chin-strap or of bucculce was found.8
There is no sufficient evidence bo determine whether the
Leckhampton head-piece was intended to serve as a
defence, or merely as an ornament. We might indeed more
readily accept the former supposition, after the examination,
for which we are indebted to Mr. Hewitt, of the latest pro-
duction of modern ingenuity in the unproved head-piece
devised during the last year for the artillery. One of these
was recently shown by him at a meeting of the Institute;
the skeleton frame-work of thin brass, with the ornament
on the apex, is strikingly similar, even in the mouldings of
its ribs, to the ancient relique which is in the possession of
Capt. Bell. This slight frame had been considered a sufficient
support to the defensive cap of felt to which it is fitted.8
Helmets of a similar fashion have been worn at various
periods : and first, I would invite attention to those which
appear on Trajan's column. We there find two kinds of
longitudinally ribbed helmets, the
close-fitting skull-cap with a knob
on its crown, usually represented as
pierced, and occasionally with a
short plume affixed to it. Such a
pierced apex would present a con-
venient attachment for a pendant of
horse-hair, the hirsuta juba which
appears to have frequently formed
an ornament of the Roman helm.
These helmet- are worn by the Roman legionaries, they
have almost invariably bucculce, or cheek-pieces, with a spira
or fastening under the chin, and usually the falling piece
behind to protect the neck. The examples here given show
how closely this Roman head-piece resembles the relique
from Leckhampton ; I have selected one. a simple skull cap,
which occurs slung over the shoulder of a legionary, and
another with its bucculce, represented as placed on an upright
Btake by the side of a Boldier engaged in building some
■ d«, Handbuch der AJtertlitl r,
K , i i I i i,. di»-
■ cord< d i._\ ll igen and
fur Alb iiliuin. r.
b
i \n \ i dlli n Helmet,"
produced bj Mr. Hewitt, in illustration "i
■I ii 1 1 ique from Leokbampton, haa sinnr
bei H '-"ii idi i ■■ 'i not i al isl ictorj , and it
haa been withdrawn Ii waa an officer*!
ii. .-i i | iii ee, ii"- 'ii aign apparent!) ■!< rii td
a i tho e ihown on Trajan'a colnmn,
FOUND AT LLTKIIAMl'TON, GLOUCESTERSHIRE.
19
Ribbed Helmets, worn by
the Sarmatians.
Trajan's column.
military defence.1 This helm very probably was the cudo of
leather used, as we learn from Polybius,
by the light-armed troops, and originally
the hunting-cap, strengthened externally
by ribs of metal. Another helm appears
in the remarkable sculptures on the
Trajan column which claims notice.
This is the pointed head-piece worn by
the barbarian cavalry and infantry — Sar-
matians or Dacians, with ribs diverging
from the spiked or knobbed apex, and
occasionally with several parallel hoops,
a remarkable feature of resemblance to
the curious frame-work found in Bavaria,
before noticed. A sculpture preserved at Rome in the
Giustiniani Palace, represents barbarians with ribbed helms,
and a knob on the top of the head.2
From a comparison of these facts I am inclined to think
that the interment at Leckhampton, in a locality surrounded
by vestiges of the Romans, may be assigned with greater
probability to the times of their dominion in Britain, than
to the Saxon age. The well-polished and finely patinated
appearance of the metal, would moreover suggest the notion
that it is Roman bronze rather than the mixed metal of
any later period. In the examination of any novel type
amongst antiquities presumed to be of the Roman period,
the English archaeologist should never lose sight of the pro-
bability that anomalous forms should occur, not conformable
to those with which we are familiar in Italy and the
dominions more closely adjacent to Imperial Rome. Auxi-
liaries from many remote countries subject to her sway were,
it is well known, sent to Britain, and they doubtless brought
with them the fashions and customs, the armour, the
personal and domestic appliances with which they were
familiar. At the time of the Notitia, one of the chief
Roman cities nearest to Leckhampton, namely Corinium,
was occupied by Thracians and Indians.
1 The accompanying representations of
helmets from Trajan's column have been
taken from the cart-fully executed plates
by Nicola Moneta, after the drawings by
Salvatoro Busuttil, in the valuable publi-
cation " La Colonna Trajana, illustrate da
Erasmo Pistoles." Roma: 1846. Folio.
I am indebted to the learned historian of
the Roman Wall, the Rev. Dr. Bruce, for
the opportunity of consulting this work.
- Encycl. Method. Division of Antiqui-
ties, pi. 38.
21)
NOTICE OF A BRONZE BELIQUE
It must, however, be admitted that framed helms of
similar tonus occur long subsequent to tin- Roman age, in
which the fashions of earlier times may have been preserved.
A good example is supplied bv Hefner in the subjects which
lie has selected from a Ms. Psalter in tin' Royal Library at
Stuttgart. He assigns its -late to the tenth century, but the
costume and general character of the objects pourtrayed
might place it as early as
the eighth century. Of
the two subjects here given
(see woodcuts), the figure
bearing the long-headed
framea is a mounted
warrior, in a tunic of scale
armour. The other is a
1 io\\ man en loot, armed
likewise witli a scaly defence, with shoii sleeves ; tin1 armour
and tin' helmets are coloured as if to represent iron.''
Headpieces of this description must have proved very
preferable to the ponderous helm of metal plate. As late
as the Xlllih century, in the reign of Henrv 111., wo find a.
remarkable illustration of their use in the subjects from the
Painted Chamber at Westminster. The framework in these
examples is mostly coloured yellow, the intervening spaces
being red or purple, as if re-
presi el ing a cap of cloth or
leather strengthened externally
by ribs of gilded metal. In
Borne instances a band appi
to be lace< 1 I hroug h I ho low er
part of the frame, probably
lor the purpose <>f attaching il
to i ho cap. or of connect ing the
entire holm to the coif of
mail. (Si 8 WOodcul ,
In .-ill the examples hit herto
cited, i ho metal framework was
obviously an external defence and ornament, placed upon a,
cap of cloth, loll, leather, or other suitable material, such as
1 SI o) en .v ■>■ ( 1,1 > iii ii, par liahed by the Society of Antiquaries, with
Divi ion I, u a Memoir l>\ the late Mr. Rokewode,
inpli d 'in can tul Vi matt Monumenta, vol vL, pL 86, 86.
i ■ pi l pub
FOUND AT LECKHAMPTON, GLOUCESTERSHIRE. 21
the Roman cudo or yalerus of skin, the " lether-helm^" of
the Saxons,5 the petturis or the palet of cuirbouilli in
mediaeval times. The ingenuity of a later age devised a
framework to be worn concealed within the cap for the
purposes of defence. Of this Hefner gives a good illustra-
tion amongst the varied types which he has selected from
a hundred helms of iron found in 1841 in a cistern at the
citadel of Chalcis, in the Isle of Negropont. They have
been assigned to the XHIth and XlVth centuries. This
simple and effective defence is given with those of the
earlier date.6 (See woodcut.) An iron
scull-cap of open or framed work was
worn within the hat in the times of
the civil wars, and examples exist in
the Tower Armory, in the collections
at Goodrich Court and other places.7
Carre, in his " Panoplie," gives a repre- ^SJShS™!?4*8
sentation of a " calotte echancree " of
this description fitted to such a form of hat as is now wTorn,
and he describes a very light and effectual substitute as used
by the French cavaliers, formed " d'une meche tortillee
excellente contre le tranchant." This recalls the singular
head-piece used by the ancient Livonians, previously noticed
in these observations. (See page 14.) The most effective
and ingenious defence was undoubtedly the secretle, or privy
cap of fence, brought under the notice of the Institute by
Mr. YV. J. Bernhard Smith, and described in a former volume
of this Journal. It is of steel, so skilfully fashioned and
lunged together as to be readily folded up and carried
about the person, and on any sudden alarm expanded in a
few seconds and adjusted by a little bolt, forming a perfect
defence against a cut from any weapon.8 I saw at Rouen
another of these skilful productions of the armourers in the
XV hh and XVIIth centuries. The late M. Langlois, also of
Rouen, had one, and I have seen a fourth in Paris.
ALBERT WAY.
In .Kline's Glossary, under Nomina " This concealed defence was in use as
Annorum, we find "Galea, lether-helm, early as the rciLcn of Elizabeth. Sir John
cassis, iron helm, corona, cyne-helm, apex, Smythe, in liis Discourses, 1589, f. 46,
lu Inn s to]), crista, hehnes camb, COWU8, says, "The Archers on horseliaeke I
helmes byje." would liave — with deepe Steele skulles in
f- J. df Hefner, Costume du Moyen very narrowe brimbd liats."
Age Chretien, Division 1., pi. 63. s Archaeol. Journal, vol. vii. p. 305.
ON COLOURING STATUES.
v. PAPEB RFAD AT CAMBRIDGE, AT THE MFETINV. OF T1IF. A RCH.EOLOGICAL INSTITUTE
IBA.T BRITAIN AND CBBLAND IN L854.
l:v RICHARD \\ T> TMACOTT, (Jus.), I! A . !
I do not propose to occupy the attention of the section
with a history of art, nor with a description of any of the
processes of sculpture ; but simply to discuss what may, in
some respects, be termed a question of taste, (though other
considerations of much importance are involved in the
inquiry,) and upon which all who feel an interest in art,
and in seeing sculpture practised upon some established
principle, may be expected to have an opinion. The subject
seems especially to call for careful consideration at this
time, and I am glad of the opportunity afforded by a meet-
ing like the present, where so many scholars, antiquaries,
and artists are collected together for the express purpose of
entertaining such questions, to bring forward a subject which
1 venture to believe will be thought well deserving their
attention.
Owing to Borne experiments that have recently been
made, it has been much canvassed whether or not statues
should 1"' coloured.
That thejudgmenl wemay arrive at will settle definitively
the practice can scarcely be expected. There always will be
persons who will exercise their indisputable right to please
themselves, both in the mode of producing and in estimating
works in those imitative arts whose first appeal is to be
made through the eye. Bui ii is important in its relation
to the public education in art thai the opinions of those
who have Studied its history and theory should, if possible,
be ascertained respecting any remarkable innovation, or
inroad upon long established practice. It is, in fact, the
• buy <'l those who profess arl to watch over its character and
interests; and if the\ have reason to believe thai true
principles are likely to be losl sighl <>f. or tampered with,
ON COLOURING STATUES. 23
unhesitatingly to enter their protest, in order that the non-
professional, and especially art promoters and supporters,
may not be left without information and authority to direct
them.
The study of the finest productions in the highest walks
of the arts of design has led to the establishment of certain
fixed principles, or canons, upon which the judgment of ages
has determined that each art can alone be safely practised.
These are not accidental and arbitrary regulations ; they
have been fairly deduced from the most perfect known
works ; whose excellence may likewise be proved to result
from the presence of these elementary conditions. In the
imitative arts of painting and sculpture especially, the pro-
per limits of each have been well and carefully defined.
Sufficient room has been left for the exercise of individual
taste and fancy ; but any great or striking deviation from
these conditions becomes an infringement of the conventional
and necessary rules by which it has been determined that
each art is, or ought to be, bound.
The desire for change is so strongly implanted in the
human mind, that it is not easy to define its boundaries, or to
say wdiere it should cease to claim indulgence and exercise its
influence. But it cannot be doubted that its gratification
must be subject to some limitation, and that there must be
some laws of propriety and good sense beyond which it
should not be attempted to pander to it. Irregular attempts
to astonish may obtain for a time the admiration, the e3re-
wonder of the multitude, and especially of the uneducated
and unrefined, always too ready to receive with delight
what is calculated to cause excitement to sensibilities that
are not easily stimulated by ordinary means ; as in the
lower class of drama, the utmost exaggeration of language
and action are sure to have an immediate and unfailing
effect on the spectators or audience, when the quiet though
truthful representation of the self-same subject would in all
probability appear dull and commonplace. On the same
principle, in the present day, the painting and daubing of
the clown's face till, literally, it loses all human character,
constitutes one great source of admiration and enjoyment
of that personage's role ; seems to pass for wit, and, indeed,
goes far to make up the facetious character.
The expression of an individual opinion, whether of
•-1 I OS COLOURING STATUES.
approval or dissent in the matter before us. will very
inadequately meet ;i question which should lie argued much
more broadly, and should include tin- consideration of
whether it is righl or wrong in art to paint Btatues. Asa
matter of baste, or rather fancy, it must be left to the artist
and tli<' purchaser j but the inquiry Bhould be made en
higher principles than it' it were only to test the value of ,-i
caprice. Tin' proposition to be discussed is, " Whether the
practise is conformable with the principles upon which pure
sculpture Bhould be exercised '. "
The grounds upon which its advocates appear to found
their recommendation of this practice shall, as far as 1 am
competent to do it, Ik- set forth fully and fairly. So far
from desiring to press my own opinions presumptuously, my
object is rather to elicit argument and information ; and it
will be my endeavour to conduct the inquiry proposed in a
libera] spirit, and with every possible feeling of respect for,
and even deference to. those who now stand forward iii sup-
port of what others, equally conscientiously, are disposed
to consider a dangerous novelty.1 A difference of opinion
upon particular details of practice is quite compatible with
the most sincere acknowledgment of the ability and talent
of those from whom we may dissent upon a few insulated
points. Tic object is to establish a truth, not to achieve a
victory. But if it shall he shown that the proposed practice
i- not in accordance with true principles of art, it becomes
the more necessary to declare ii against the opinions of those
whose undoubted ability may be powerful to influence the
public taste. And if. after all, an objectionable practice
should obtain, lor ,-i season, after ;i protest against it has
been recorded by those who have endeavoured fairly to
weigh the arguments on both sides, if will ho seen that it has
not been effected without a warning voice having been
raised against ii.
It i- (air to assume that the artiste who propose t<» intro-
duce the novelty of painting or colouring statues, &c.,
conceive thai auch additions will improve sculpture. It
1 I ;un bappj hi thii placi to acknow opposed to the practice he would l" glad
llio valin of Mr Owen Joni 1'slittli 1 stabli lied in g ral polychromic
ibject Although I do sculpture, hi " Ipologj " is written in a
■ many oi thai gentleman's Fair ph it,
com I i n
ON COLOURING STATUES. 25
would be absurd and unjust to accuse them of recommending
it on any other ground ; with the intention, that is, of
injuring or deteriorating their art. When, therefore, they
profess and show they are not satisfied to see sculpture
practised in its simple specialty — as an art dealing with
form only — a sufficient difficulty — it may fairly be taken
for granted that they think it is deficient in some quality
wanting to its perfection, and that they can supply this
want by the aid of another art. It is to be lamented
that if this is their feeling the proposition is not thus
eandidly stated, and that the Polychromists do not explain
more fully and clearly than they have yet done the object they
have in view, and the advantages they think will accrue to
their art from it ; because then the question might at once
be argued on its merits. But the advocates for the practice
of colouring sculpture appear to be either unwilling or
unable to enter upon any art-reasons for its adoption.
Generally, they are satisfied with saying it was done by the
ancient sculptors, and desire to found the modern practice
upon precedent. It scarcely is possible to conceive that this
comprehends all in the way of reason that artists of ability
can give for desiring such an innovation on long accustomed
practice. To advocate colouring sculpture upon no other
ground than because ancient sculptors are said to have done
it, seems to be simply a narrow prejudice ; and before the
general body of, perhaps less well informed, sculptors, and the
public, who cannot carry their respect for mere antiquity
quite so far, can be expected to conform to the recommen-
dation, surely the art-reasons for such innovation, and the
principles upon which they found their new theory, should
be freely explained. That sculpture among the ancients,
Greek as well others, was sometimes painted or coloured, and
that it had other ornamental accessories, cannot be disputed;
the fact is asserted by ancient writers, and what is still more
important, monuments have been found so decorated, which
place the matter beyond question and contradiction. This,
then, is admitted: but this authority, taking it fully for what
it is worth — and some remarks will be offered further on
upon some of the most generally received quotations from
ancient authors, on this subject — no more proves the pro-
priety or the desirableness of the continuance, or rather the
renewal of the practice in the present day, and in the actual
ON COLOURING STATUES.
condition of sculpture, than the equally well authenticated
feet of the early personages and characters of the Greek
drama having smeared their tares with winedees. or eon-
cealed them under hideous masks, proves the propriety of
suggesting to our actors and actresses to do likewise.
Again, admitting the fact, and even the value of the
authority of antiquity for Polychromy, it Btil] may be
questioned, first, whether painting or colouring statues was
originated by any of tin1 great masters of sculpture :
secondly, whether the practice was general in the best time
of sculpture ; and thirdly, whether it was employed by the
- artists in their ordinary works — works, that is. uol
executed for a particular purpose and under special
conditions — a consideration, it will be presently seen, of the
highest importance in this inquiry. There is not a shadow
of doubi that all these three questions, bearing on the
ancient authority, may be answered in the negative.
It may be permitted here briefly to state an art-principle
wliich will not be disputed : it may help to clear the ground
for some subsequent remarks.
The legitimate province of sculpture is to represent by
form ; whal is not represented by form does not come under
the definition of Bculpture.
[f sculpture be painted it is a mixture of two arts: as, if
a picture 1"- relieved or raised in any part, it is also a mixture
of two arts.
Let M- imagine thai in order to increase the effeel of some
well-known picture, say the Transfiguration, portions of it
were raised and sculptured, so as to produce, in fact, the
:' or projection of the various figures and groups.
Would it nol be denounced firsl as a most inefficient device;
and, next, as an inexcusable departure I rum an established law
of art ! It is much to be lamented thai while no painter of
reputation, ancienl or modern, has attempted so toconl rai ene
;hi admitted principle in bis own art, professors of the sister
art of sculpture, many of them artists of unquestionable
talent, such as Bernini, Etoubiliac, and others, have not always
confined their practice within Buch wholesome and necessary
restrain! : though, witli all their indulgence in the fantastic
and picturesque, the sculptors alluded to are nol known to
have had recourse to \ he painter s art.
Ilavinc admitted trenerallv, the fad that there is t lit*
ON COLOURING STATl IX :>7
authority of the ancients for colouring sculpture, it is now
proposed to consider more at large the question, whether it
is desirable to return to this practice. The legitimacy of
mixing together two arts, which the principles essential to
each require should be kept distinct, has already been
disputed. The next inquiry will be, what are the objects to
be obtained by painting or colouring sculpture 1
1. Is it to render the imitation more close to nature 1
2. Is it to attract attention 1
3. Is it to gratify the sense by adventitious decoration 1
4. Is it to give distinctness to the parts of a work when
viewed from a distance.
First, with respect to close imitation.
It scarcely can be necessary to state in such a meeting as
this, that it is a radical error to suppose that the province of
the sculptor is to effect an exact imitation ; that is, such imi-
tation as should produce illusion. We all know that, in many
respects, this is impossible in sculpture. In others, where it
is possible, the facsimile representation of inferior objects,
such as veils, napkins, the stuffs and materials of drapery is,
as all practical sculptors know, simply the work of (a superior,
it may be, but) a careful carver.
As I am addressing a general and unprofessional audience,
it may not be out of place to state the principle by which the
sculptor is governed in this respect. It is stated that there
are certain objects in nature which do not admit of being
exactly imitated in sculpture. But even if it were possible
to carry the imitation of that which is the highest object of
the artist's study — namely, the human figure — to such
perfection as to induce the belief that it was real : that to
any one entering a sculpture gallery the figures should bo
closely resemble nature that, at first sight, they should appear
to be living men and women standing on pedestals, would
not the achievement cause a very disagreeable impression ?
Undoubtedly it would. At present the lover and admirer of
art is gratified by the contemplation of a fine and successful
work of art, as a work of art. His imagination supplies all
tli.it is wanting; and he does not ask nor expect that his
senses shall be deceived. Nay, the moment he could bring
himself to look at it as a positive and exact imitation of a
human figure : the hair, the eyes, the lips, the nails — every
part coloured and tinted, like life, but without life, he would
<>N COLOURING STATUES.
be more disposed to shrink from than admire it, Let us for
a moment imagine some well-known work, — the Apollo, the
Laocoon and his Son-, the Farnese Hercules, so treated, and
judge for yourselves what would be your feelings. Even
such a near approximation to reality as is afforded by wax-
work exhibitions,9 is anything but pleasing to the generality
of people, and especially persons of taste in art, though they
ni.i\ be amused by the talent and ingenuity shown in thus
producing resemblances. The dissatisfaction felt is to be
accounted for on a perfectly intelligible principle. The
reason for it is to be found in the fact that wax-work
approaches too near to nature to I'-1 agreeable as art, and yet
i- not near enough, or true enough to nature — norcanitever
30 —to make us forget it is art. Certainly there is no
reason to believe thai ancient Greek sculpture ever fell so low
in taste as to have a school of close imitators of the kind
allude 1 to : or that the introduction of colour had any such
obje
As it is always desirable if possible to refer to existing
examples, I will remind you of many sculptured works
to be found in this country, from which you may form
a judgment of the effeel of colour in increasing the truth
of imitation. 1 have already touched on wax-work, 1
now allude to tho painted monumental figures still found
in many of our churches. They are chiefly of the sixteenth
and seventeenth centuries, though the practice prevailed in
iln- earliest period of such monuments; for the further wo
go back t<> barbarism in art, or t<> the infancy of art, the
more Burely do we meet with coloured sculpture. Now
these are, undeniably, legitimate examples <>f polychromic
sculpture ; and, of their kind, good examples: and what,
is more t'> the purpose, they are infinitely Buperior in this
respect t" ■•my ancient works of the kind that have been
discovered. Probably, as they are of modern date, no value
whatever will In- allowed them ; but had any figures or
fragments resembling them been dug up in Greec ■ Ash
Minor, there can be little doubt, judging from the examples
thai have been quoted, they would have been hailed by the
• I have no intention (■> insult legiti- the productions of Ant-rate artists the
. -i. ,i! m with bad argument would equally apply.
■ hi. in Tin- advocates for oolour say n is not
• thai their object t" imiutu natun '
I . . ■ ii ii tip \ could I"-
ON COLOURING STATUES. 29
Polychromists as invaluable specimens of the practice, and
triumphantly adduced as authority for its reintroduction.
And how do these affect us, considered as works of art,
independently of course of any interest that belongs to them
oil other grounds \ Are not the best of them more suggestive
of the toy-shop than the sculptor's studio f By far the
most successful works of the kind, (and the effect they
produce at first sight is described, by those who have seen
them, as perfectly startling,) are to be met with in Spain
where statues, as large as life, and represented in action,
are to be seen painted with the utmost care and finish.
It is known that while this taste prevailed, the sculptors
laboured to acquire the skill of the best painters, that they
might themselves insure all the pictorial effect possible to
their statues ; and as the artists of the time, the sixteenth
century, were amongst the most able that Spain has pro-
duced,— as Cano, jMontanes, Hernandez — these performances
far surpass anything of the kind found in other countries.
But, while giving them all due credit for the peculiar excel-
lence they exhibit, several accomplished writers on Spanish
art 4 have not hesitated to record their unqualified condem-
nation of the practice as opposed to all true principles of
sculpture. But, to show the extent to which enthusiasm,
and the determination to support any favourite theory may
be carried, the ingenious author of a well-known treatise on
Polychromy says, " Si une figure coloriee avec art et avee
(/out ne fait pas bien, cest la sculpture qui est en defaut et
in hi pas la polj/c/iromie." This is certainly taking a some-
what unusual view of the position that sculpture might be
supposed to hold in the question.
In the examples referred to the gradations are studiously
marked in the colours applied ; complexion, half-tints, veins,
the eyes — all are carefully expressed. In the very few
instances in which colour has been found on ancient sculpture,
— and I believe there are none of the best period of Greek
art — there is no attempt at gradation. The pigment is of one
uniform tint, and appears to be laid on, or over, a thin coating
of stucco, which covers, and must, more or less, clog and
thicken the surface of the material of which the statue is
formed. The flesh is usually expressed by a dark red, but
* Sec Ford," Handbook i>t Spain ;'' Sir Edward Head ; Stirling, "Spanish Painters.'1
SO ON COLOl RING STAT1 ES.
sometimes, judging from remains of colour on Terra Cottas,
it was white. In figures on vases this frequently occurs.
The eyes were of various substances, sometimes of glass or
paste, Bometimes metal, sometimes even of precious stones ;
and there are instances of inlaying metal of a lighter colour,
as silwr. on bronze lips.
It has tints been briefly Bhown thai colouring sculpture is not
desirable on the ground of exact imitation ; and that the
( !ri ek sculptors <>f the best period of ilic art, who are quoted
;i- authorities for the practice, never could have had that
object in \ icw.
The next inquiryis with respect t<> attracting attention.
They who consider that the whole and sole object of art
i- to please tin' eye, may very consistently contend that all
means that can be devised as conducing to that end are
legitimate. They would, therefore, add extraneous decoration
or ornament to sculpture in order to attract purchasers, by
exhibiting to them either what is merely pretty or showy, or
something that is calculated to excite or gratify certain
feelings of mere sense. There have been, and it is to be
n gretted, there are artists who are open to the reproach of
doing thi- for very unworthy purposes; but it will he ad-
mitted, to their honour, that English sculptors are not liable
to tin' reflect LOB of making their art a menus of corruption, by
the studied display of qualities and modes of expression that
can only ho intended to minister to the grosser senses. But,
where do such purpose is contemplated, a sculptor, jealous oi
his lame and of the honour of his calling, should he careful not
to Bubject himself even to the suspicion of practising what
might be termed trick or claptrap, as a means of inviting
attention to hi- merit-. It is, in fact, the mere chapman's
excuse; and. though there maj be nothing absolutely wrong
in it. in morals, ii surety places him who adopts it in a some-
what different position from the class of artists to whom we
should look lor the maintenance of ,-i high character for
their profession.
The next subject of inquiry, namely, whether the object
of colouring sculpture was to give distinctness to the several
parts of :i composition, will require a more extended con-
sideration than has been given to the previous questions.
In budyinc the practice of sculpture among the Greeks, -
ma tor oi i he an w hum all I he modern schools
ON COLOURING STATUE*. .'SI
have agreed to take as their exemplars, — it must be borne
in mind that, without necessarily deriving- their art from
any other nation or people, the mode of presenting it
would most probably be much influenced by older and
foreign usage, as the practice of other and, compared
with themselves, more advanced nations became known
to them. Thus, though sculpture was first known and
practised in Greece later than in Egypt or Assyria (as
it was also totally distinct in its types), still, though
original there, the report and example of what was done
in other countries would doubtless be the cause of the
introduction and adoption among the Greeks of similar
practices. As the custom of painting their sculpture pre-
vailed among the older nations, it is reasonable to believe
t lw.it the reports of travellers might have occasioned the
introduction of a similar practice among the more recent
settlers in Greece ; and thus it may be considered rather as
a foreign graft upon their own rude and primitive attempts
at art.5 This supposition places the practice upon an entirely
different footing to that which it would have had had it been
a peculiar feature in Greek design, and originated by the
great Greek masters ; when of course their taste would have
been made responsible for its invention. Once introduced,
usage gave it a hold upon the prejudices of the people
who, as sculpture at that early period of their history
was only, or for the most part, used for sacred purposes
or illustration, no doubt soon closely associated all these
modes and particulars of representation with the popular
religious feelings ; and thus, probably, in the more bar-
barous ages of Greek art the painting of the statues of the
gods became a prescribed practice. The intuitive genius
of this remarkable people soon, however, improved upon the
rude means which at first seemed only to be employed to
produce a pretty and attractive effect in decoration. In
' It may he observed here that there considering monuments of this kind, that
can lie no doubt that painting with these sculpture had a much more profound
nations was in a great measure hieratic meaning, and was fulfilling a much more
and symbolical In figures of mythologi- important mission in past ages than it
cal personages, in kin^s and heroes, each has or perhaps ever can have with modern
colour so applied, (and all are painted nations. We must always hear in mind,
from head to foot,) conveyed a distinct that it was not alwavs produced merely
meaning, probably recognised by the to gratify a taste lor art, or to furnish
multitude, but certainly understood by galleries with pleasing objects of exhibi-
the priests, as having a peculiar applica- tion and display,
tion. We do not sufficiently reflect in
32 ON COLOURING STATUS.
their Polychromic architecture they appear fully to have
equalled their earlier exemplars in the richness of em-
blazonment] while they surpassed them in the delicacy of the
forms of their ornament, in the appropriateness of application,
the balance of quantities, and the judgment displayed in the
several combinations and juxtaposition of colours : and thus,
by their refined taste, they raised to the dignity of fine art
that which among a Less-delicately organised people would
be, and doubtless was, mere gorgeous and, comparatively,
barbarous enrichment. It was the same in Polychromic
sculpture; and in studying its existence among the Greeks
at the time of their best Bculptors, it will be necessary, in
older to judge fairly, to inquire how much of it was prc-
Bcriptive, and of necessity, and how far the great masters
of the art can be considered responsible as original or inde-
pendent authority for Btatue-painting.
The period when it is agreed, by all historians of art, that
sculpture attained its highest perfection, ranges between
480 B.C., and about 200 B.C. From the time, that is, when
Myron and Phidias lived, and when the latter superin-
tended the more important public works undertaken by
order of Pericles, till the extinction of the immediate scholars
of Lysippus, lil'ty or sixty years after the death of Alexander
the Great
Although an approach to a line style of art is traceable
in the schools immediately preceding the age of Phidias,
yet there can be no doubt that, previous to the time of
that great master, sculpture was still of a hard and exag-
gerated character. The sculptures from the temple of the
Panhellenian Jupiter at Bgina, among other valuable
examples, indicate both these facts. Phidias, and those
under him. effected an importanl revolution in art. lie hail
t he genius, and bis favour with Pericles ga\ e him the power.
io break through much thai was prescriptive and traditional
in sculpture; and, freeing it from these trammels, he pro-
duced wh.-ii far surpassed all thai bad gone before it — as
indeed il never baa been equalled Bince — in the statues
and rilievi which decorated the Parthenon al Athens. Still,
the reformation was partial. Imitation was indeed now
founded on the close Studv of selected forms in nature,
I 111 whai is Known as the grand Btyle in an ; but
there us no doubl the improvement or the change did not
ON COLOURING STATUES. .'33
extend to some important details of execution. Those
liberties and innovations which Phidias suggested and
effected in the general treatment of historical and poetical
subjects, would not be permitted in the same degree in
the representation of sacred personages. He would here
find himself restricted by usage, from which it was
neither safe nor lawful to depart ; and it is recorded
that the mere introduction of two portraits, said to be
of Pericles and of himself, in the accessorial rilievi that
decorated the statue of Minerva, subjected the sculptor
to an accusation of sacrilege. In statues of the gods,
then, we must not always expect to find the free, untram-
melled production of the artist ; but even where great
improvements may be traced in some important points,
be prepared to see some characteristics preserved of the
original types. Nor was the artist bound by custom
alone. The priesthood, always alarmed at any change
indicative of the exercise of individual and independent
thought, required a strict adherence to established forms.
Any very sweeping innovation in the mode of representing
the gods might have shaken the faith of the common
people in the religion itself, and then, of course, as a
necessary consequence, in its teachers and ministers. In
this respect, then, there was policy in insisting upon his
adhering to certain received dogmas in art. In obedience
therefore to the universal feeling, Phidias made the statues
of Jupiter at Elis, and of Minerva at Athens, of various
materials. These works, we must bear in mind, were the
offerings of a grateful people for most important victories
achieved over a powerful enemy who had threatened their
very existence as a nation. They were to be made out of
the spoil taken from the vanquished foe. The Minerva
especially was voted to crown the triumph over the Persian
hosts, after the failure of the expedition into Greece under
Xerxes. The old and accustomed means, namely, the
employment of rich and varied materials, were, of course,
adopted equally on this occasion. Ivory and gold, painting
and inlaying, and every conceivable enrichment, were
lavishly bestowed in order to make these votive statues the
most costly of dedicated gifts. But chryselephantine and
polychrome sculpture were not first known or invented at
this time, nor was Phidias the first sculptor, by many, who
VOL. XII. F
: i OB COLOURING BTAT1 BS.
practised it. Fortunately for art the greatest Bculptor who
ever lived illustrated Greece at this period ; and thus it was
that the richest works in Bculpture, in material, were also,
by a happy accident, the most perfect productions of art ;
but Burely do one would attempt to argue that they were
the most perfect works of sculpture because they were com-
I of gold, ivory, or any other particular material, or
ise they were painted and enriched.
It is not necessary to describe these works in detail, but
it is difficult for the imagination to conceive anything more
splendid and gorgeous than the effect of their varied enrich-
ments, viewed in combination with fine architecture, the
detail- tit' which wriv also richly coloured, and glistening
under the bright sun and cloudless Bky of (-recce. The
most poetical fancy would probably tail in attempting to
picture to itself the real brilliancy of the scene, taken as a
whole. But, as critics, let us not lose sight of the important
fact that we are judging the works alluded to only in a
■ combination as objects of spectacle and display. Does
it follow that, considered individually, as works of .sculpture,
the variety of materials and the flutter of colour would not
be injurious to them, as these atl racted admiration, instead of
eing drawn to those finer and simpler qualities which
should specifically claim attention in this art. The fact is,
the sculpture bo applied lost it- distinctive or Bpecial
character. It was a portion of an architectural effect.
Colouring, we know, was extensively employed in archi-
tectural dec, .ration, and when the BCulptor was called upon
to act in combination with the architect, his work, no doubt,
subject to the Bame laws of treatment as other parts of
the composition. He placed his groups in the pediment with
its enriched coloured mouldings, against a background, Bome-
times painted blue perhaps to imitate the Bky, but quite as
likely merely to give increased distinctness and relief to his
figures. He further increased their effect, as portions of a
general design, with gilding and oiler accessories, and no
doubt, also, sometimes with colour. But in all this, his object
to make his sculptui e jubsen e to the \\ hole effect. In
Bhort, ii became necessary to adapt the sculptures, in colour
and in finery, jo to speak, to the objects around them ; so
that in fact, as we are now considering it, instead of a prin-
cipal n became ;i subordinate and onlj ministerial accessory.
OX COLOURING STATUES. 35
The necessity for giving this distinctness to the several
parts of a work which was to be viewed from a distance,
would perhaps be considered a justifiable ground for colouring
sculpture. Many objects would probably be so placed that,
in their unassisted simplicity of uniform colour, they could
not be judged of in themselves, nor would they under some
possible conditions, be sufficiently separated or detached
from the architecture to be seen at all. The treatment
of the frieze of the Parthenon, one of the finest examples of
the class of art existing, illustrates this speculation ; while
the peculiar technical treatment of these bassi-rilievi shows
how deeply the ancient artists studied the various require-
ments arising out of such circumstances in the preparation
of their works. I need not now speak of the peculiar flat
execution of the sculpture, but will observe that the darker
and decided colour of the background — for it appears on
examination that even now there are remains of blue colour
discernible — may be accounted for, independently of its
architectonic condition, as a means of giving distinctness
and relief to the horsemen and other figures in the pro-
cession. The reason for such adventitious aid to their
effect will be found in the position this frieze occupied
in the decoration of the temple, and in consequence, the
peculiar quality and limited quantity of light it could
receive.6
Now, so far as we have proceeded, the only two intelligible
grounds for the introduction of colour in sculpture among
the Greeks seem to be, first, to assist in giving completeness
to architectural effect, and secondly, to insure distinctness to
the parts of the sculpture itself. No one will argue that
6 Among our obligations to the com- the bad effect it produces is quite enough
mittee of artists who have so carefully to insure its unqualified condemnation.
arranged the various courts at the Crystal The experiment here made of the light
Palace at Sydenham, must be noted, espe- blue background only, with the rilievi left
ciallv, the opportunity they have afforded white upon them, is sufficiently unsatis-
tlie public of judging of the effect of the em- factory; but the grey, white, black and
ploy men t of colour in sculpture and archi- brown horses, and their fltsh-coloured
tecture respectively. Upon its applicability riders, with their gilded heads of hair, all
to the latter art it is not necessary here to so admirable and so perfect in their
offer any remark. Polychromy in archi- simple art, are here degraded into tawdry
tecture has received full attention, and toys. It is remarkable, also, that the
has been most ably discussed by many figures appear now to have lost their
eminent writers. Where painting has symmetry, and the composition its unity,
been applied to insulated sculpture (for while all the finer qualities of detail in
the frieze of the Parthenon must be so which they iu fact abound, are entirely
considered as it is here presented to us), suppressed, or lost sight of.
it surely is not asserting too much to Bay
36 OH COLOURING 8TATUBS.
in either case the object of the artist was to give to sculpture
Bomething it required, or was in want of, for its perfection.
It remains uow to make a few remarks on the ancient
authorities for colouring (Greek) sculpture. In the first
place, the presumption is wry strong that the assumed
fad that the finest Greek sculpture was ever systematically
coloured, rests on very questionable foundation. It is
rather taken for granted from certain vague expressions of
comparatively late writers, than proved from contemporary
authority, or from any experience we have of the feet as a
matter of universal custom. Pliny and Pausanias, and a few
other writers, living long after the date of the sculptors whose
works they refer to, mention works so treated ; and modern
critics, few, or none of them practical artists, have founded
various speculations upon these imperfect data. It certainly
is remarkable, it' the practice <w er prevailed to the extent that
is pretended, that among the very large number of marble
statues of a fine period of art that remain to us to attest the
indisputable superiority of the ancients in sculpture (proper),
there is not a single example of the practice alluded to. It
will Qot do in Bay this is owing to the great age of the works,
and tlic accidents to which they have been exposed, lor many
of th. mii have been found under circumstances that have
insured their integrity a sufficient time to show the original
surface. Besides, there was a period when the works of the
ancients were studied and imitated in Rome with the most
Bcrupulous exactness. The chambers of the Baths of Titus,
and ofthe Villa "l Hadrian, have given their long-concealed
and well-preserved treasures "l an to the Light, after pre-
servation lioni injury for centuries \ and while the colours
of paintings <>n walls have been found as bright and fresh as
when they won' executed, none of these even comparatively
late storks in sculpture have been found painted, or showing
any indication of Colour, in the way tin- admirers ol
polychromy have pretended. There is no intention here to
deny the mere fact that colour was sometimes employed, but
only to dispute the mm ersalitj <>l t he practice, and its being
usual in the best period "I sculpt ure.
The poetical and fanciful imaginings »»(' certain writers
no .h, ni, i been accepted by some modern c mentators
on an as th.- statement of facts, ami this has probably led to
ON COLOURING STATUES. 37
considerable misapprehension ; and as artists have not always
the time or opportunity to inquire or examine for themselves
into the value or correctness of the statements made to them,
they are often unfairly influenced to adopt, as usages of the
ancients, practices which, if they ever obtained at all,
were partial and exceptional, A few examples of accounts
of statues, improved or embellished by the authors who
describe them, will illustrate the character of some of these
so-called authorities, and a very little reflection will show
how little such descriptions can be relied on.
A sculptor named Aristonidas is recorded as the author
of a bronze statue which represented Athamas sitting,
overcome with remorse, after the murder of his son. In
order to express with greater truth the effect of confusion
and shame, the artist mixed iron with the bronze.; and
this, "by its redness shining through the brightness of
the bronze," caused an appearance on the surface like a
blush." Now iron is not red, to begin with ; and then the
redness is described as shining through the " nitorem " of the
bronze, as though bronze were a transparent material.
Again, another ancient authority is quoted as recording
that Silanio (an artist who lived about 320 B.C.) made a
statue representing Jocasta dying, and that by a peculiar
mixture of the metals used in the composition of this work,
a cast of paleness was given to the countenance.8
It is scarcely necessary to say that these accounts are
utterly undeserving of credit — so far as they assert that those
expressive tints were produced by any possible mixture of
metals ; for the term used is " miscuit" " mixed together."
Any one who has the slightest acquaintance with metallurgy
must know that the effects thus described are incom-
patible with the fusion of the different metals used for bronze
statues : and even supposing, for the sake of argument, the
possibility of keeping the metals distinct in a common
melting, how then would it be possible to insure the blush or
the pallor coming in the right place % It would not be easy
to determine the precise colour that such materials should
assume when they are intended to represent such refinements
' " Aristonidas artifex cum exprimere s Els rb irpoadntov apyvpov ri av/xfii^ai rbv
vellet Atliamantis furorem Learcho tilio rtx^TV, o*vs iK\nr6vTos avdpwnov /cot
residentem poenitentia, ces, femtmque p.apaifo/x4vov \d0r] ireptcpdvetaii 6 x^kJs.
', ut rubigine ejus per nitorem Pll't., Sjmp. v.
teris reluccnte exprimeretur verecutidiui
rubor." — Pun. N. H. xxxiv.
OH COLOURING BTATUBS.
as the complexion of persons under the influence of strong
emotions, but we have yet to learn thai the addition of
red cheeks or a pallid countenance would be an improve-
ment to a bronze Btatue. It is probable that such works,
as they arc here described, never bad any existence
but in the imagination of the writer. The fact of cue of
these authors mentioning the peculiarity of the work
alluded i" as .'in "on dit" rather strengthens this opinion;
for Plutarch does not, as is generally assumed, describe a
work be had Been, or that even existed in his time. As its
reported author lived between three and four hundred years
before the birth of Christ, and Plutarch not till nearly one
hundred and fifty after that event, thus comprising an interi al
of between five and six centuries, < onsiderable allowance must
be made for those who presume to entertain doubts. "They
Bay," or " it is said/' cannot, in a practical matter like this,
where there is no adequate contemporary testimony, nor any
remaining monuments. I"' received as Buflficient evidence or
authority. In the other instance alluded to, of the statue of
Athamas, Pliny Bays "hoc signum extat TJiebis hodierno die"
but he does noi Bay he had seen it.
Callistratus describes, among several similar examples, a
Cupid, the work of the celebrated Praxiteles. In enlarging
(.n its claims to admiration, he Bays there was on his cheeks
a vivid blush.
In marble statues the colourmight be put on; but this
must have been very coarsely, and almost in patches.
Pausanias mentions various works of the kind painted with
vermilion. Anion-- others he speaks of a Btatue of Bacchus
thai was made of gypsum, and painted another of gold, or
•jilt, with the face painted red.9 Some fragments of statues
were exhumed al Athens in the year L835-6, on winch
colour was found, laid on in thick coats. Among them
a female figure, of which the face, the eyes, and the
(\ 1 1, nr,\ s were painted.
I will venture to add one more illustration from M. Qua! re
mere de Quincy's celebrated work, in proof of the inadequacy
of ; 1 1 1 ■ i.' authority, or thai which is quoted as such, to esta-
blish airj fixed doctrine upon this contested subject. There
tui of a Bacchante, attributed to Scopas, who held,
' I have not though! it ncci ary to Quatrem&re 'I' Quincy, "Surli Jupiter
multiply in '.t the Olympic/!," whoha collected all, or nearly
kind. Thowo who would examine farther nil, the notta t" tx round in tnciont
._ Ol M v'.i \U i iij. ..ii tins mi i. .ii ubjj ''I.
ON COLOURING STATUES. • 39
instead of a thyrsus, an animal (a kid) with its entrails
exposed ; the marble represented the livid flesh, and one
sole material offered the imitation of life and death, &c. :
" Erat autem Hind capellce simulacrum lividi coloris. Etenim
mxurn cadaveris quoque induerat speciem, namque et eamdem
materiam in mortis et vitce imitationem diviserat." 1 The com-
mentator on this passage supposes here, says M. Quatremere
de Quincy, that Scopas had availed himself of a vein of
marble which he found resembled the colour of the dead
animal : " Nempe in marmor incidisse artificem aliqud parte
lividum'y quam partem ille caute in effingendum capeUce mortuas
imaginem verteret." M. Quatremere de Quincy at once pro-
tests again this far-fetched explanation. He perceived in a
moment its absurdity, or, at least, improbability, and enters
into particulars to show that such an account of the wonders
displayed in this work was quite inadmissible. He truly
says, " Cette hypoih&se pourrait Men n'etrequ'unemeprise" —
and then goes on to say, " II est plus simple d!imaginer " —
something else — and gives his own quite as fanciful specu-
lation as to how the performance was accomplished.
Now the above are some of the leading authorities upon
which stress has been laid for the fact of the ancients having
habitually coloured their sculpture. Can it be seriously
proposed to establish a general practice upon such doubtful
expressions and insulated examples as these, and then to
call it the authority of the ancients \ As reasonable would
it be to take the authority of antiquity literally, and to
affirm that living busts could be produced out of blocks of
stone, or that bronze may be made to breathe, because we
find in ancient writers such expressions as "vivos — e marmore
vultus," or " spirantia — cera? or believe that pictures and
statues lived, because it is said —
" Et cum Panhasii tabulis, signisque Myronis,
Pheidiacum vivebat ebur — "
with endless other instances of the kind.2
But admitting, for the sake of discussion, the argument of
authority. If the great sculptors of antiquity bowed, on
1 Tb 5« fy x'juai'pay tl 7rAa<r/ua irfXiSybv interesting. But where, in addition to
tV xp^av> Ka^ 7°P T^ Te0f7)K&s 6 Aldos the practical difficulty referred to, there
virtZvtro, koX fuav oixrav t))v v\rjv els is no concurrent testimony of the tune.
6a.va.Tou Kal forijs Sifjpei ri]v fiifx-rjo-ti/. — . and not a single ancient fragmen#of a
Cai.listr. in Bacch. Stat. statue, such as he describes, to support
- The descriptions of statues by Callis- his marvellous accounts of blushing
tratus are certainly very curious and bronze cheeks and glowing countenances,
40 - OH COLOURING STATUES.
occasion, to public opinion in colouring and otherwise orna-
menting Btatues of divinities, and others that were so far of
a prescriptive character, or contributed with their art to the
enrichment of architectural effects, there is still reason to
believe that in their ordinary works they did not habitually
use Buch extraneous accessories. The very manner of
alluding to such works s that they were exceptional;
and there is even authority, quite as respectable as that for
colouring, for the admiration fell by the ancients for Btatues
in pure white marble.
It has been attempted to be proved that the " circumlitio,"
referred to by Pliny/ has reference to this practice of
colouring Btatues. It cannot, however, by any ingenuity be
mad.' to mean such painting or tinting with different colours
as painter-sculptors are advocating. The great probability
is that it refers to a most careful perfection of surface ;
both by giving a certain degree of finish or even polish to
the marble, and probably by rubbing in a preparation — a
vaj*nish— -capable of imparting a rich roundness or appear-
ance of i'atu to call it, (the " morbidezza " of the
Italians) to the execution ; and enveloping the whole with a
warm yellowish tone of colour, anticipating by these artificial
means, the mellowing effect of age. Bui such a genera]
tone cannol be considered in the category of colour, as it is
now proposed to use it. It has been imagined. by some
writers thai the varnish described by Vitruvius was intended
to be applied over paintings and other works in order to
erve them.fi
To recapitulate in a few words. So farfrom denying thai
the ancient statues w< re sometimes coloured or painted, the
authorities for the practice have been fairly produced and
considered in this discussion. The mode of effecting the
colouring has been shown, also on ancienl authority. With
■
d to ii- application to productions in bronze, the mar-
vellous effects of which have bei □ as eloquently described, ii
Indulgence must be granted for the inert ' Plin V H. lib, i <, and
■ lulity 'A those who eannol give entire Lucian. Dial. Am
i do ' " Dieebat Praxiteb \, interrogatua quae
in i'i deny thai I were maxima opera sua probarel in marmori-
i • in whom the) are boa, i|nii>us Niciaa manum admo
I .| thai the tantum drcumlitioni ejus tribuebat."
I ww.ii.
ind ill' almost imperceptible an opinion ol M Latronne.
■ have See Hittorf, "Sur la Polyehromii "Ac,
! ipplii •! by I sal p. 110.
OX COLOURING STATUES. 41
has been shown that the authority for it is of very question-
able value, and that the statements, if there be any truth at
all in them, must be exaggerations. In colouring other works
we now know how it was done. The description of ancient
writers has been confirmed by modern discoveries, especially
by the fragments that were found, as has been stated, a few
years ago at Athens, painted thus coarsely, without variety
or gradation of tint. Doubtless, when colour was employed,
this was the ancient practice.
Since this paper was read, it has been objected in reply
to the* arguments adduced, that the advocates for painting
sculpture do not intend to adopt or imitate this wholesale
and crude colouring, nor do they intend to imitate nature.
It is said it is not proposed, now, to cover statues thus
coarsely and entirely, but only to introduce, here and there,
delicate tints, mere indications of colour in some parts ; as
the cheeks, the hair, the eyes (the colour of the eyes being
different from the colour of the cheeks — and yet the imitation
of nature not intended !). But surely this is proposing to
do under the professed protection of the authority of the
ancients, what the ancients did not do. I think the advocates
for colouring sculpture will in candour agree with me, that,
whatever opinions may be entertained as to the desirable-
ness of the practice, there is not the most remote hint in
any reliable written authority, nor in any recovered frag-
ment or work of art, to indicate that this delicate and
partial tinting was the ancient practice, or was ever resorted
to, even exceptionally, by any of the great masters of the
art — as Myron, Phidias, Praxiteles, Alcamenes, Lysippus.
And had it been employed, what would have become of
all this tinting after the lapse of ages % Yet do we feel or
fancy that the existing works of the best Greek schools,
however we may deplore the mutilations consequent upon
age and accident, seem to require such accessories 1 Do we
feel that the Theseus and Ilyssus, the Venus of Melos, the
Apollo of the Belvedere, and others, show a deficiency that
colour could supply \ Or in modern works, do we feel any
regret that the Moses of Michel-Angelo, the bronze Mercury
of Giovanni di Bologna, the Christ of Thorwaldsen, the
Hercules and Lycas, or the fine statues of the Popes, by
Canova, or the Michael and Satan of our own Flaxman, are
without this embellishment ; or believe they would be
VOI,. XII. i;
42 OM COLOUBING STATUES,
improved by receiving it '.' The modern sculpture-Poly-
chromista would then introduce an entirely novel practice —
Be it so. They may take their stand as inventors if they
will : and upon this ground may endeavour to gain converts
to a ii'\\ Bystem ; but it is scarcely fair to profess they
are, in this, following in the steps of the masters of Greek
sculpture.
I have been obliged by the character of the arguments
]>m forward by the advocates for painting Btatues, namely,
the value of ancient authority, to make that, and I fear it
has been done with much repetition, the chief object of my
attention. 1 have presumed to question its force and its
universal application to sculpture (proper), though fully
admitting the fact of polychroinic ornamentation. But if
supporters should think their favourite ancient authority
more distinct and decided than has been here allowed, and
that the practice of colouring statues was universal and
habitual among the Greeks twenty centuries ago, — for re-
member the period of the greatest Greek sculptors was
between five and three hundred years before Christ, — is it.
after all. a sufficient reason for our doing it — as mere copy-
[f imitations of ancient statues and ancient idea
far as they can be conceived independently of all ancient
nation or sympathies, are required, then, where it is
desired, let all these presumed appliances be added ; but
Burely it would be mere pedantry to insist upon them in the
application of sculpture to the requirements of a people, of
whatever civilised nation, who differ altogether in their
religion, poetry (thai is, in its machinery), feelings, and
habits from the ancient Greeks; and this only because
the ancient Greeks are believed to have employed them.
Wnat hope can there be of ever succeeding in making art
the expression of real sentiment and living thought, if we
are systematically to ignore our own age and its wants, and
only to pat it forward mechanically in short as the academic
expression of factitious Greek sentiment— in such classic
guise afi museums and galleries of ancient Bculpture Buggest !
rved, incidentally, thai degree of complacency the soaping and
oj marble statues oiling it must undergo in order to iti
Inbilion to the mnltipU being moulded. Thus private collectors,
eulptor galli ri( liool of d< ign, » ould
who Im'l devoted and study to 1 1 < . - nil be deprived of the advants
■ •i colouring ol III pl< uun of fac res of
iculptun could contemplate «iili anj possibly very fine productioni in sculpture.
ON COLOURING STATU Ks. 43
The argument that this new process might be found
pleasing has not been openly put forth : the professed ground
of its proposed introduction being always ancient authority ;
and we are, therefore, scarcely called upon to discuss that
secondary question. But it may be as well to be prepared
for that plea. The first enquiry in that case should be, who
is to be pleased % Pleasing a particular age or party is no
proof of the taste being correct. The history of art affords,
or should afford, sufficient warning that fanciful innovations
and caprices of practice not founded on principle, although,
at first, they may have had admirers and patrons, have
always failed to secure a permanent footing ; and this even
when, as has often been the case, their promoters have been
artists of high reputation. What, for example, could be
more pleasing, in the popular acceptation, than the produc-
tions and style of Giovanni di Bologna, of Bernini, and of
rtoubiliac 1 These were all men of unquestionable genius,
and great power in art, who, in their own time, were loaded
with honours, and reaped the substantial reward of universal
popularity, and left crowds of imitators behind them. It is
not overrating them to assert that the best productions of
these sculptors will bear comparison in invention, originality,
knowledge of form, and execution, with anything the more
modern schools have to show. And now, with all their
indisputable merit, for no one can deny them this character,
how are their works looked upon, and in what manner are
they referred to ri As warnings to students not to indulge
in fancies that are opposed to the principles of pure art.
We have not now to learn that contemporary favour or
popularity is no security for future fame ; and it is remark-
able how surely, sooner or later, false taste meets its fate.'
I hope I may be pardoned for offering, in conclusion, some
few observations upon a collateral subject, which has forced
itself on my attention during the inquiry into the mere art-
question it has been my object to illustrate. I believe it to
be far from unimportant ; and I do not doubt that if my
apprehensions are well founded, the higher class of Polychro-
mist sculptors, and its advocates among amateurs, will agree
" A strange reason is reported to have daction of painted or tinted sculpture :
been given by some advocates for lJoly- namely, that we are not accustomed to it
chromy for the objections that have .. in England. In what country, it may be
been felt here against the proposed intro- asked, are they accustomed to it !
1 I OH COLOUKING BTATUBS.
with me in deprecating the evils which seem to threaten art
by the introduction of what is at present an almost untried
experiment.
There is no surer indication of the decadence of good taste
in art, and therefore of art itself, than when, alter a con-
siderable degree of excellence has been attained, a .passion
- for elaborate execution and ornament. What in one
age is only the effect of ignorance, in another indicates
corruption. The history el' art, ancient and modern — for its
rapid decline, even in Greece, ia very remarkable — supplies
us with ample evidence of this, and it is unnecessary to
enlarge upon it, or to detain you while proofs are advanced
in support of an indisputable fact. Barbarous and uncul-
tivated nations in their earlier attempts at art adopt all the
means that occur to coarse sensibilities to give ell'ect to
works of imitation. The employment of colours in sculpture
is amongst them. In the same way, in a more advanced
condition of society, when in any exercise of ingenuity or
art (and it applies also to poetry and literature) a high degree
of excellence has been attained, a desire of change arises ;
some fresh interest is anxiously looked for, and the fancy
requires gratification in novel excitement. Nor is it, in art,
confined to those meretricious accessories which have been
chiefly considered in the foregoing remarks : meretricious
subjects may also be looked for as the natural consequence
Or development of a taste for luxurious decoration. It
Bhould be remembered, that in the period of what has been
termed the sublime style of sculpture —that of Phidias, who
was distinguished as the sculptor of the Gods, and the beauty
of whose works was said to bave added something even to
the dignity of religion, —
. . . A.deo majestas opens Deum tBduayit,
it is believed the female form was never represented without
appropriate drapery. It seems to be established that it was
after bis era thai this fresh stimulus of the senses was intro-
duced ; and the undraped female figure has been exhibited
from thai time amongsl the commonest subjects of imita-
tion. \\ •• Bhould not read the lessons of bistory in vain.
Sculptors should strive not to allow their art to degenerate
into a |"' ible means of corruption. They must know bow
lew who contemplate undraped statues, can bave the
ON COLOURING STATUES. 45
necessary knowledge to form anything like an accurate judg-
ment upon their merit, their truth, and the higher technical
qualities of the art, and consequently, that such works can
usually only address the sense, and not the understanding.
They, as guardians of, and caterers to, the public taste,
should avoid and protest against any innovations which,
by possibility, may have a tendency to deprave that taste, or
to lower the high standard of art. The class of subjects
likely to be preferred for the more favourable exercise of this
character of embellishment, will soon show the direction
from which danger may be apprehended. The attention of
sculptors will not be given to heroic representation, or to
subjects that are calculated to suggest ennobling thoughts,
but rather to those of an opposite tendency, the sensual class.
Assuming that the ancient classical mythology will, as usual,
be the field of illustration, sculptors will scarcely choose the
manly and developed forms of a Hercules, a Theseus, or an
Achilles, for his delicate tinting or colouring, but will naturally
prefer the soft and voluptuous female form, as Venus,
Nymphs, Bacchantes, Dancing-girls ; or the famous courtesans
of antiquity, the Glyceras, the Phrynes, and Laises of the
olden time, with no stinted exhibition of their imagined
charms : or if male subjects, those of the class of Cupids, or
young Bacchuses. Such as these lend themselves especially
to the attractive accompaniments proposed to be introduced
— the delicate tinting of flesh — but which would appear out
of place, nay, probably, even very offensive in representations
of more virile character. It is surely not too much to say
that a male statue, such for instance as the Farnese Hercules,
the Barberini Faun, or even the Belvedere Apollo, if pre-
sented to public exhibition in flesh tints, with the hair
painted, and the eyes coloured, however delicately and care-
fully this might be done, would not for a moment be tolerated.
Would any father of a family willingly take his wife and
daughters into a gallery so peopled ? The feeling of pre-
judice which some persons entertain with respect to all
exhibitions of classical sculpture, and which it is impossible
, to blame where nude displays are made apparently only for
the sake of exhibiting the naked human figure, would have
ten-fold force under such circumstances. This really
comprehends the whole question, and it is difficult to
conceive how the modern Polychromist can escape from the
dilemma.
•10 OB COLOURING BTATUES.
Far be it from me to suppose for a moment that artists
of merit and acknowledged reputation have had the most
remote idea of exercising their art to an immoral purpose,
or of exciting an interest in sculpture, by merely ap-
pealing to the lower senses. But though such a notion
mav never have crossed their own minds while engaged in
the fascinating production of beautiful works, it may be
permitted to point out how others, not so circumstanced,
may possibly 1"' affected ; (specially too, when, obviously, the
subjects are oot chosen for any instructive purpose or elevating
object. It may be true that while fancy-sculpture — in dis-
tinction to portrait-sculpture — is so often exercised with no
higher aim and purpose than to please the eye, or obtain
patronage, the study and exposition of the merely beautiful
in form, may possibly appear an all-sufficient aim and object
to the artist ; and then, of course, it would matter very little to
him where he sought for his subjects, and what names he gave
his statins. I cannot hut think that art has a higher mission
than this — merely multiplying forms of beauty — and even
admitting, in sculpture especially, that beautiful form should
be its exponent or language, and, as we must do. that we
can nowhere find more admirable examples of the true
principles of art, or of models of form, than are left us in
tli«' works of the Greeks, still, the illustration over and over
again of obsolete fables and their actors, however well done,
however successfully imitated from the antique, is calculated
rather to retard the useful progress of the art, than to lead
to the true development of sculpture in its highest and most
worthy purpose; such a purpose, in fact, as we know it was
the intention of the great sculptors of antiquity to attain, by
the application of their art to the noblest subjects of their
religion aid their heroic national history.
r.s. — I regret extremely thai I am unable to append to this paper the re
mark - it gave rise to on various kindred points of art, From Bome of the eminent
person! who were presenl at 1 1 1 « - reading. But my acknowledgments are
especially doe to tin- Dean of St. Paul's (Dr. Milman), to Mr. Hawkins of
ii. Briti li M'i '11111, to Mr. 0. Morgan, M.l'., ami to Mr. GL Scharf, for
their highly interesting observations on ancient sculpture, and for the
additional light tiny threw on the particular subject discussed in the paper ;.
ami I ■ opportunity to beg these gentlemen to acoept my ainoere
rateful thanks lor their valuable assistance.
K. W., .Ir.
ON THE LIFE AND DEATH OF EAEL GODWINE.*
§ 5. BANISHMENT AND RETURN OF GODWINE.
We have now arrived at the turning-point in the history
of Godwine and his family, to the event which for a
moment displaced them from their power, only to return to
a more sure possession of it. We all know how Eadward,
the son of a Norman mother, and brought up at the Norman
court, had well-nigh eschewed the feelings of an Englishman,
how his court was filled with hungry foreigners, whom he
quartered in the highest dignities of church and state.
Against this state of things, Godwine and his sons stand
forth as the representatives of the national feeling, and
hence, as Malmesbury tells us, the difference of statement in
the Chronicles, according as their authors were of Norman
or of English descent. The one party of course represent the
Normans as intruders, stirring up faction in the realm and
usurping dignities to the exclusion of the natives ; while the
great Earl of the West-Saxons appears as the champion of
justice and liberty against the encroachments of the
foreigner. The Normans of course, as we have seen,
recognise in him and his sons nothing but abusers of the
King's simplicity to promote their own aggrandisement.
That Godwine was the real champion of English liberty
and nationality is clear from every statement : that he and
his sons had no objection to combine their own advancement
with the good of their country, is only saying that they were
but men.
. There are several various statements as to the details
of the event which first brought the Earl and the
JSiofTwo feeble King into collision ; but there is no doubt
cii'^'uk-k11 the as to its being entirely owing to the insolence and
violence of the foreigners. Eadward's sister, Goda,
had been given in succession to two French husbands, Drogo,
* Continued from vol. xi. p. 330.
48 "X T11K LIFE AND DEATH OF EARL GODWINE.
Count of Mantes, ami Eustace. Count of Boulogne ; the son
of the former had been provided by his uncle with a com-
fortable Earldom in England ; ami now Count Eustace,
shortly after his marriage with the widowed princess, comes
over also : Malmesbury says lie Joes not know for what
cause, hut that whatever it was lie wanted, he gained it of
the King. That one of his party attempted to obtain
Lodgings in a lunise at Dover against the will of the owner;
that the householder, resisting his entrance, was either
wounded ! or killed by the Frenchman ; that the foreigner was
killed in self-defence by the English ; that Eustace and his
party then attacked ,the English indiscriminately, and after
murdering men, women, and children, were driven out of the
t«>wn. — thus much is admitted on all hands. But the two
versions of the Chronicle differ in an important respect ; one
represents this ebullition of French insolence as having taken
place immediately on the landing of Eustace, the other on
his return from the court ofEadward. The conduct of Eustace
and his party was in itself equally had in either case ; but it
may be observed that, if it happened immediately on their
landing, it might have appeared as something more than a
violation of the King's peace ; it might have presented the
appearance of an actual hostile invasion, no less than the
proceedings at Pevensey and Senlac fifteen years later.
The two versions also differ as to what immediately followed.
It must be remembered that Dover was a town within
Godwine's own Earldom, and that it was consequently his
business to protect the innocent parties and to punish the
aggressors. According to one version, ESadward, Listening; to
Eustace's statement of the matter, without hearing the other
side, commands Godwine to proceed at once to Dover, and
inflict a military chastisement on the town which had so
grievously failed in respect to the King's brother-in-law.
Godwine refuses to perform any Buch office; the men of
hover are under his government, and none of his people
Bhall, with his consent, sutler execution untried: let the magis-
trates of ih" place be summoned before the Wit an," and
1 Wounded, according to oni for ion of whose "Curia Regis "I suppose does mean
.■hi. I-, followed by Malmesbury, the Witan. The Chronicle merely says thai
i rding t'> the oth< r w t Ion, the Earl would nol consent i<> the inroad,
i i <_-. i lorence and most ol the beoan < he was l"ili i" injure bis own
people,
i ! . l i r \ .
ON THE LIPB AND DEATH OF EARL GODWINS. 49
abide by their judgment. The Witan are summoned to
meet at Gloucester ; Godwine, Swegen, and Harold, with
their followers, assemble at Beverstone in that county, ready
to go to the assembly, " to have the counsel of the King,
and his aid, and of all these Witan, how they might avenge
the King's disgrace, and the whole nation's." In the
meanwhile certain foreigners possess the King's ear, and
prejudice him still more against Godwine and his party : the
northern Earls, Leofric and Siward, join in the cabal.
Godwine's party, " on the other hand, arrayed themselves
resolutely, though it were loathful to them that they should
turn against their royal lord." No hostilities take place, it
being agreed that the matter should be judged in another
Gemot to be holden in London. This is the first version in
the Chronicle, followed in its most important particulars by
Malmesbury. The other story sa}'s nothing about Eadward's
commands to Godwine, but states that immediately on hearing
what had been done in a town within his jurisdiction, he
and his sons gathered together an army, threatening to make
war on the King, unless Eustace and certain other French-
men were given up to them. Eadward, who was at Gloucester,
does not seem to summon a Witenagemot, but sends
for Siward, Leofric, and lladulf, with their military forces.
No battle however ensues, but hostages are mutually
given, and the matter referred to a Gemot at Southwark.
This was owing to the moderate counsel of Earl Leofric,
who objected to fight with his countrymen, though the
army was ready to do so. This account is followed by
Florence.
It is not easy to reconcile these two narratives ; it is not
easy to account for their differences. It is plain that the first
is the one most favourable to Godwine, and that a sort of
apologetic tone in his behalf runs through this whole version of
the Chronicle. Yet this is the version followed by Malmesbury,
whose prejudices are certainly on the Norman side, while our
English Florence adheres to the latter. Of modern historians
Dr. Lappenberg chiefly follows Malmesbury, Mr. Turner
adheres to Florence. Thierry and Dr.Lingard draw particulars
from both. Before we consider how far this may be safely
done, it will be as well to examine a difficult passage which
occurs in each, and which I purposely passed over in a
summary way in abridging the two narratives.
Vol.. XII. II
50 o\ THE LIFE AND DEATH OF EARL GODWINE.
In the first story I said that while Godwine was at Bever-
stone, ■' certain foreigners possessed the King's
ear." The Chronicle says — "Then had the
1 Wallace menn ' wrought a castle in Herefordshire
among Earl Swegen's following, and wrought all
the harm and besmear (disgrace) to the King's men
thereabout that they might." Then, while Godwine is at
Beverstone, "the \\" .- * - 1 i --- -< ■ menn were beforehand with the
King, and accused the Earls, that they might not come in
his eyesight, for they Baid that they would come for the
Bang's deceit." Now who are these " Waslisce menn '." The
translation of the Chronicle has " Welshmen;" Malmesbury
calls thorn -• Walenses/5 but tells the story rather differently,
Baying that Godwine came to Beverstone with an army, and
i out as the reason for his assembling it, "ut "Walenses
compescerent, qui, tyrannidem in Ue^eni meditantea,
oppidum in pago Herefordensi obfirmaverant, ubi tune
SwanuSj unus ex t \ 1 i i >-> Godwini, militia' prsetendebat excubias."
This last clause is not easy i" understand, and sounds like a
misinterpretation of the words of the Chronicle, which I take
to mean Bimply that the castle was built within the limits of
Swegen's Earldom. 1 Buspect also that the worthy monk
of Malmesbury wandered slightly in his ethnology, and
mistook for Welshmen people who were nearer akin to his
own French friends. Certainly the proceedings attributed
to these •' Waelisce menn/' their castle-building and their
familiarity with King Eadward, are something not a little
extraordinary mi the part of genuine Cymry, subjects of
either Gruffydd. Dr. Lingard interprets " W»Hsce " hereto
mean Bimplv in its original Bense, "foreigners," Le., in this
case, Frenchmen, and Dr. Lappenberg silently takes thesame
view. I do not however understand the former writer,
wlidi he says that "three armies from the three Earldoms
of Godwin, Sweyn, and Harold, directed their march
< I Langtree in Gloucestershire, to punish, as was
pretended, tin- depredations committed en the lands of
Harold by tin- French garrison of a castle in Herefordshire."
Now the version which mentions the castle in Hereford, says
oothing about armies at Langtree, but of a gathering
i mi i!ii primitive wore Wal$h and ■trangera." Common
Smith, "To wealth ol England, cap. 18
■ fr rhi in « 1 1 1 • - 1 1
ON THE LIFE AND DEATH OP EARL GODWIN E. 51
originally designed to be peaceful, at Beverstone ; the pretext
of punishment is from Malmesbury, while I do not know
the authority for saying the incursions were made on the
lands of Harold, whose Earldom was on the other side of
England.
The other difficulty is in the other account : Godwine's
demand in the Chronicle is for the surrender of
Eustace and his men, " and the Frenchmen who French in
were in the castle." This, in Florence and Dover Castle-
Hoveden, appears as " insuper et Normannos et
Bononienses, qui castellum in DoroverniaB clivo tenuerunt."
But Dr. Lappenberg interprets it to mean " all the French-
men who were in the castle in Herefordshire ; " adding,
" either Florence must have had before him a defective and
unintelligible MS., or Eadward must already have entrusted
the Castle of Dover to the French ; a supposition which
would account for the insolence of Eustace, but which is
highly improbable." How " the castle " can mean " the
castle in Herefordshire," I am wholly at a loss to understand,
as in the version of the Chronicle which contains this
passage, there is nothing at all about the Herefordshire
castle. There is indeed no castle mentioned at all, and the
allusion is far from clear, but I think that the authority of
Florence is quite sufficient to make us interpret the " castle "
of Dover Castle. Dr. Lingard infers from the passage, that
while Eustace hastened to the King to complain of the
insult, many of his followers obtained possession of, or
admission into, the " Castle on the Cliff." This seems a
very probable explanation.
Now which version are we to believe 1 It is of course our
business to reconcile both as far as possible, but
if this attempt fails, I think our credence is most Harmony of
due to the second version of the Chronicle, that theversions-
followed by Florence. The other is evidently the
work of a partisan ef Godwine's, striving to put his conduct
in the most favourable light, while this one, though not
manifesting any animus against him, makes no such studious
apologies. From one expression, " the people were ordered
out over all this north-end and Siward's Earldom and
Leofric's and elsewhere," it is clear that the account was
composed out of Godwine's jurisdiction. I accept, however,
the statement of the former, that the fray took place on
QM Till: LIFE AND DBATfl OF EARL GODWINS.
Eustace's return, because that narrative enters into some
small details of his journey, which there could .be no
motive for inventing. 1 also accept its statement that
chastisemenl was ordered by the King, and that Godwine
refused to ohey. Bui 1 must confess that 1 doubt whether
Godwine went into Gloucestershire with quite such peaceable
intentions as the first version represents him. He would pro-
bably go prepared for either result, with a body of followers
sufficient to overawe the King and his foreign favourites,
and ready to appeal to arms if necessary. This first version
represents them as going peaceably to a Witenagemot, and
implies that resistance only came into their heads as an
afterthought.4 1 think no formal Gemot was summoned at
Gloucester, for if so, why could not the matter have been
judged then and there instead of being adjourned to another
assembly at Southwark '. Dr. Lingard seems also to reject this
first Witenagemot at Gloucester. I therefore adopt the second
version, only correcting it from the first by the statement
that it was on Eustace's return that the affray happened ;
and taking in the fact that Godwine refused obedience to
Ivi Iward's commands to chastise the people of Dover. His
appeal for a juster treatment of his people having been
once rejected, it would be repeated at the head of the choicest
men of the three Earldoms, coupled with threats of an
appeal to force if justice were any longer denied. Any
wrongs committed by foreigners in Herefordshire, or else-
where, would of course excite Godwine and his party still
more. Etadulf and his Frenchmen would be naturally
anxious for battle; Siward and his Danes might likely
enough have some grudge against Godwine and hisWest
■ ns; Leofric of Mercia naturally steps iii as mediator
between the extreme parties, and counsels a peaceable
settlement in the Witenagei , This seems far more
probable than the adjournment from one Gemot at Gloucester
to another at Southwark, while the gathering together of so
many great earls and thanes would almost present the
appearance of a formal assembjy of the Witan, so thai it
mi.'lii be loosely spoken of as if it had really been one.
To the Gemot .'it Southwark all England seems to bave
4 Mr. Kemble in Incidentally telling not enter fcl large into the question
tl a i Itui in Ihh list di Qe i (ii 260) he
thou -ii lie doc i c< tfl the ( • louccster onei
ON THE LIFE AND DEATH OF EARL GODW1NE. 53
come, ready for discussion either with words or with blows
as occasion might serve. The conclusion every one knows,
namely, the banishment of Godwine and his sons ; Swegen
was first outlawed, doubtless, professedly at least, for his old
offence ; Godwine, Harold, and the rest,5 refusing to appear
unless hostages were given for their safety, were banished,
being allowed five days to take them out of the realm. God-
wine, with Gytha, Swegen, Tostig and Judith, and Gyrth,
went to Flanders — " Baldwines land," as the chroniclers call
it — to the court of Tostig's father-in-law ; Harold and Leof-
wine, for some unexplained cause, chose Ireland6 for their re-
fuge. No mention is made of the younger children ; possibly
they were not born. An act of treachery on the part of
Eadward, or those who acted in his name, may be accepted
without hesitation, as recorded by the chronicler less
favourable to Godwine. Harold and Leofwine went to
Bristol to take ship ; Bishop Ealdred was sent with a force
to overtake them, "but they could not, or they would not."
The foreigners now have it all their own way ; even Queen
Eadgyth is banished to a monastery, divers bishoprics and
dignities are conferred on Frenchmen ; Harold's earldom,
however, falls to the lot of iElfgar, the son of Leofric. '
In the various narratives of Godwine's return, there is
no important difference. But we cannot help
observing the wide difference of feeling displayed Return of
by the people in different parts of the kingdom. Godwine-
Harold lands at Porlock as an enemy ; all
Somerset and Devon meet to oppose him in arms, and
several men of rank are killed in open combat ; whereas, as
Godwine and his other sons sail along the coasts of Wight,
of Sussex, and of Kent, the inhabitants everywhere flock to
their standard, vowing to live and die with them. It is a
glorious tale to read how England stood ready to receive her
champions ; how no influence could induce a single man to
lift a weapon against the national chiefs ; how the foreign
intruders, counts, bishops, and all, fled wildly to escape in
any quarter from the vengeance of the nation which they
had insulted. The Somersetshire story is the only dark
5 " Tliey very properly declined under Conquest, Harold's sons take refuge in
Buch circumstances to appear." (Kemble, Ireland, ami tln-nce return to Sow erst t-
Saxons in England, ii, 231.) shire, just as their father did.
6 It should be noticed that after the
•"'1 OX THE LIFE AND DEATH OF EARL GODWINS,
Bhade on the picture. My own notion is, as I have before
hinted, that the government of Swegen, as might be expected
from his character, had been Less popular than that of
Godwine and Harold, and that some old grudge may
probably have led to the collision. But in any ease the
difference of feeling in the two districts needs explanation,
and it may possibly be a Btain upon Harold's character, if
he, for once in his life, resorted to unnecessary violence. In
either new, it is uot fair in Thierry to omit all mention of
Harold's Somersetshire affray ; while, on the ether hand, it is
equally unfair in M. de Bonnechose to represent Godwine
and Harold as plundering in Sussex and Kent, on the mere
testimony of such a writer as Wendover, in opposition to the
earlier authorities. That there was some standing feud
between the men of Somerset and the house of Godwine we
may infer from the fact that, when Harold's sons, after the
Conquest, landed in that county, they were resisted, just as
their father had been, by the people of the district headed
by an English commander.
Tint- was achieved the great triumph of the national
party. In the words of the Chronicle, "they outlawed all
the Frenchmen, who before had upreared unjust law, and
judged unjusl judgments, and counselled ill counsel in this
land, except so many as they agreed upon, \\h the King
liked to have with him, who were true to him and to all his
people." This was a great error, which Godwine, in some
accounts, i- stated to have opposed in vain ; when the hour of
trial came, when Godwine and Llarold and Stigand were no
longer at hand to maintain the cause of England, these foreign
priests and knights became chief agents in carrying out her
subjugation. For the present, England was England once
again ; Godwine the Earl, and Stigand the Archbishop, stood
forth as the chiefs of the national State and the national
Church; Harold returned to his old Earldom; Eadgyth
to lea- strange and melancholy royalty ; one alone of
thai greal house appeared uol to share the general j<»v.
■ n, touched with penitence for his crimes, had gone
barefooted to Jerusalem, and died Bhortly after on
i hi- return, either in Lycia or at Constantinople.
The latter is the statement of the Chronicle, the
formerof Florence and others; Malmesbury alone
r< pre 'Mi him a being slain by the Saracens, the others as
ON THE LIFE AND DEATH OF EARL GODWINE. 55
dying of a disorder occasioned by the extreme cold. But
all seem to agree in representing this pilgrimage as an
expiation voluntarily undertaken at the bidding of his own
conscience. Dr. Lingard, oppressed by the seeming necessity
of making something out in behalf of Saint Eadward, tells
us, " but to Sweyn Edward was inexorable. He had been
guilty of a most inhuman and perfidious murder, and seeing
himself abandoned by his family, he submitted to the discipline
of the ecclesiastical canons." Now, I really am quite unable
to find, at any rate in the writers nearest to the time, anything
at all about Eadward's inexorable justice, about Swegen's
abandonment by his family, or about the discipline of the
ecclesiastical canons. From the Chronicle onwards they
represent Swegen as having already gone to Jerusalem,
starting direct from Bruges, and as having no share in the
return of his father and brothers. They say that Eadward
restored their honours to Godwine and his sons, except
Swegen, " who had already gone " — jam abierat. Florence,
and those who copy from him, add " ductus pcenitentia," or,
as Malmesbury phrases it, " pro conscientia Brunonis cognati
interempti." This latter writer does not indeed directly
state that Swegen was already gone, but this is because he
does not follow chronological order, but gives us little
separate biographies of Swegen and Tostig. The only
narrative I can find at all like that of Dr. Lingard is contained
in the veracious chronicle of Wendover, among all the Norman
scandals against the family, which Dr. Lingard, whenever
he allows himself the free use of his own clear judgment, is
the first to reject. Wendover does not use the pluperfect
tense, and for " pcenitentia ductus," says, " pcenitentiam
agens." Now, while the former phrase must strictly imply
" led by repentance," i. e. in his own mind, the latter may
fairly mean " submitting to the discipline of the ecclesiastical
canons." But according to the more trustworthy statements,
if Swegen was indeed a great criminal, he was also, according
to the ideas of those times, a great penitent, and it is rather
hard to deprive him of that character, merely to exalt
St. Eadward and the ecclesiastical canons. But even
Wendover says nothing about the inexorableness of the
King and the abandonment of Swegen by his family.
Eadward had no opportunity to be inexorable, nor Godwine
to abandon a son who was somewhere between Bruges and
56 OH THE LIFE AND DEATH OF EAEL GODWINE.
Jerusalem. What might have happened, whether Swcgen
had abandoned the world for rwr. or only for a season ;
whether, it' he had lived to return, he would have applied for
the restitution of his Earldom, or whether it* he had,
Eadward would have been inexorable or Swegen been
abandoned by his family, are points which I cannot profess
to determine ; they do nol belong to history, but to that
philosophy of romance7 which J)r. Lingard is generally
the firsl to despise.
According to some Norman writers, Godwine delivered to
the King, as hostages for his good behaviour, his
lwine son Wulfhoth, and his grandson Haken,8 theson of
Swegen, and Edward committed them to the safe
keeping of his cousin, the Duke of the Normans.
According: to one account, il was to reclaim these hostages
that Harold afterwards went on his unfortunate journey into
Normandy. But I must Gonfess thai 1 Bee very little reason
to believe that Buch hostages were given at all. The Btory
mi tin' authority of Eadmer, William of Poitou, the
Roman do Rou, and the later writers^ Bromton and
Hemingburgh. Against it is the inherent improbability of the
case, the entire silence ofthe early English authorities, and a
Btatement not easily reconciled with it in at least one
Norman writer. Ordericus Vitalis. The Chronicle and
Florence mosl distinctly tell us that Godwine and all his
family were restored to entire favour with the Kin--, and to
all their possessions and honours, Swegen alone excepted, i'ov
the reasons before given. How can this be reconciled with
the -tat i 'in i 'tit thai a sod and a grandson of Godwine were at
this M rv moment sent into captivity in a foreign land ! And
whin G-odwine and thr national party were in the full Bwing
of triumph, when the name of Norman was almosl Bynonymous
with that of outlaw, it does 3eem wholly incredible thai the
weak monarch should have been allowed to send two English-
men of the dominanl familj as hostages to the very prince
whose subjects were being driven ou1 of the kingdom,
■ i'j Talking of the* philo* relatea the story in nearly the un<
n'.|.liv ol romance," I may mention th I m un,or,
,, has in th ned Dr Lappenberg says that Homing-
,; . i ills the son of Swej ne, " < ttherin. '
riolationa i .1 In the 1 listorical Societj sedition .-it l< act,
■ ., , i . he fl ures as " i facu ." ■■> • be <i<hh in
lurnii i be W itan, Bromton.
.ii i then If. Thierrj
ON THE LIFE AND DEATH OF EARL GODWIN E. 57
Florence, in recording the death of William in 1087, tells
us that, on his deathbed he released from prison, among
others, " Wulfnoth, the brother of King Harold, whom he
had kept in prison from his boyhood," but that the worse
tyrant who succeeded him speedily remanded the unfortunate
prince to a dungeon at Winchester. But he does not say
that Wulfnoth was a hostage ; he might have been im-
prisoned after William's conquest of England ; in which
case he must certainly have been the youngest of the
brothers. Ordericus, as we have also seen, saj^s nothing of
Wnlfnoth's being either a hostage or a prisoner, but repre-
sents him as living piously, and apparently peaceably, as a
monk at Salisbury.9 On the whole I incline to believe that
this story of the hostages is simply one of the many fictions
of the Norman party. The mode in which it probably arose
I shall have to discuss when I come to treat of the life of
Harold.
The later writers generally afford less entertainment in
their narration of these events than might perhaps have been
expected ; but I cannot resist the temptation of inserting the
inimitable, though not over-historical, relation of them to be
found in good Bishop Godwin, in the life of Archbishop
Ilobert. " He [Robert] began, therefore, to beat into the
King's head (that was a mild and soft-natured gentleman)
how hard a hand his mother held upon him when he lived
in Normandy : how likely it was that his brother came to
his death by the practise of her and Earle Godwyn ; and
lastly, that she used the company of Alwyn, Bishop of
Winchester, somewhat more familiarly than an honest woman
needed. The King somewhat too rashly crediting these
tales, without any further examination or debating of the
matter, seased upon all his mother's goods, and committed
her to prison in the Nunry of Warwell ; banished Earl
Godwyn and his sonnes, and commanded Alwyn, upon pain
of death, not to come forth of Winchester." Then follows
the story of the ploughshares.
9 Dr. Lingard quoting the passage of the second capture mentioned by Florence
Ord< TH-uss:ns,uAlfgar,atter the conquest, and by Dr. Lingard himself in p. 51.')! 1
became a monk at Rheims, in Champagne. do not see how the statements of Florence
Wulfnoth, so long the prisoner of William, and Ordericus can be reconciled, and 1
only obtained his liberty to embrace the somewhat doubt the existence of this
same profession at Salisbury." i. 4 1(>. But /EWgar.
when did Wulfnoth obtain bis liberty after
Vdl,. XTI. T
ON THE LIFE AND DEATH OF EAIM, OOOWINE.
§ 6. HEATH AND CllAUACTKU OF GODWIN E.
The great Karl of the West-Saxons did not Long enjoy bis
restored ascendancy. In L053, the year after his
return, he died. The Chronicle informs us only
' : that he was taken ill. while dining with the King
;it Winchester, "on the second day of Master,"
when he fell down suddenly in a tit. was carried out into the
King's chamber in the expectation of his recovery, but that
he never recovered, and died on the next Thursday.1
Florence adds, that his sons. Harold. Tostig, and Gyrth,
carried him out. On this the Norman fabulists have built
up, as might have been expected, a marvellous superstructure.
Such a death of their great enemy might by itself have been
represi uted as a manifest judgment on the traitor ; but this
would hardly have been enough. We are told, therefore, by
[ngulf, or pseudo-Jngulf — 1 will not enter into that question
— and by Malmesbury, that as Eadward and Godwine were
Bitting at table, discoursing about the King's late brother
.Hll'n- 1. Godwine Baid that he believed the King still
Suspected him of having a hand ill his death, but thai he
prayed his next morsel might choke him if he were guilty of
any share iii it. Of course his next morsel did choke him ;
he died then and there, and was carried out by Harold.
Now it perhaps occurred to the uext generation, that, under
the circumstances as imagined by them, the deceased /Elfred
was .-i rather extraordinary subjeel of discourse to arise
between Eadward and Godwine. Henry of Huntingdon,
gifted, it may be, with less power of invention than some
others, makes the conversation take a somewhat different
I urn. and a hardly more probable one. Godwine, "'/'//'/•' suns
el proditor " is reclining by 8 ing Eadward .'it Windsor, \\ hen
he apparently volunteers the remark, that he has been often
falsely accused of plotting againsl the King, but that he
trusts, if there be a true and just God in heaven, he will
make the piece of bread choke him if he ever did so
)>lo|. The true and |u I God, we are told, heard the voice
0 ; pom '."i.rt. post of the Chronicle. Hoveden oopiee Flo
i ii Lnppi , reooe.
"On the Mill i [| '. In at in-- .n , in mediaeval Latin, (<•
'•■mi- davi Hut Florence meant have acquired the more
ii,. fifth day ol ihi See Ducangewi voc.
ON THE LIFE AND DEATH OF EARL GODWIN K. 59
of the traitor, who, as the chronicler charitably adds,
"eodem pane strangulatus mortem praegustavit seternam."
But this was a very lame story. The conversation about
YElfrcd was too good to be lost, so some means must be
found to account for the introduction of a topic which
one would have expected both parties to avoid. Some
ingenious person hit upon an ancient legend which
Malmesbury had indeed recorded in its proper place, but had
not thought of transferring to this. There was an old
scandal against iEthelstan, otherwise one of our noblest
monarchs, to the effect that he exposed his brother Eadwine
at sea, on a false charge of conspiracy, brought by his
cup-bearer. Seven years after, the cup-bearer, handing-
wine to the King, slips with one foot, recovers himself with
the other, and adds the facetious remark, " So brother
helps brother." But King JEthelstan is thereby reminded
how this same man had made him deprive himself of the
help of his brother, and takes care that, however strong he
may be on his feet, he shall presently be shorter by the
head, which had no brother to help it. Thus in iEthelred
of Rievaux, in Wendover, in Bromton and Knighton, we
read how, as Eadward and Godwine are at table, the cup-
bearer slips and recovers himself, how Godwine says, " So
brother helps brother," how Eadward answers, " So might
my brother iElfred have helped me, but for the treason
of Godwine." Then, of course, Godwine curses himself and
dies. One or two little improvements are to be found in
different writers. Thus Bromton makes Harold appear as
the cup-bearer, and his father's remark is addressed to him.
One only wonders that the disputes between Harold and
Tostig were not somehow lugged in here also. The same
Bromton puts into the royal saint's mouth, on seeing
Godwine's fall, the brief and polite remark, " Drag out the
dog ! " Wendover, who says that Eadward blessed the morsel
before Godwine swallowed it, expands this laconic terseness
into, " Drag out that dog, and bury him in the highway, for
he is unworthy of Christian burial." On this his sons carry
out the corpse, and bury it in the Old Minster,3 without the
King's knowledge.
■ /.,. the Cathedral (" in episcopate by Alfred the Great, afterwards failed
Wintonise," as Malmesbury lias it), as Hyde Abbey.
opposed to the ''new minster" founded
60 OS THE LIFE AND DEATH OF BARL GODWIN" K.
Such was, as Dr. Lappenberg truly observes, " the last
attempt of the Norman party to avenge them-
n,ar • Belves upon the lion's skin of their deadliest
mc- enemy." We have seen bo* simple and natural
the tale is in its first estate, and how it has
gradually grown into the lull dimensions bestowed upon it
by Norman calumny. Bach passer-by has deemed it his
duty to throw an additional stone upon the corpse of the
dead traitor. We, at this distance of time, may be allowed
lasi their fables aside, and to draw our information from
the more trustworthy records of his own time and nation.
The impression conveyed by them is that the great Karl was
a man. in his own age, of unrivalled natural ability, and of
unrivalled acquired experience, who devoted the whole of
his mighty powers to the genuine service of his country, but
around whom there hung the dark suspicion * of one foul
crime, never indeed proved, but on the other hand never
fully disproved. That Godwine was innocent is the con-
clusion to which the weight of evidence inclines, lmt that lie
should have been even suspected tells against his general
character. When the iEtheling Eadward at a later period
died I3 ;it the court of his uncle, and opened the way
he succession of Earold, the advantage to the latter was
so palpable that i only wonders that he was never accused
of ;i hand in his death.5 Yet I am not aware that even
Norman enmity ever ventured upon such a calumny, while
English writers have at least Buspected Godwine of the
murder of Alfred under far more aggravated circumstances.
We may therefore fairly conclude thai the charge which
would have been at once felt as carrying its own refutation
with it in the case "I the son, had not the same intrinsic
improbability when applied to the lather. Godwine was a
bold, far-seeing, unscrupulous politician, seeking the good of
Iwine indeed appears also eon- in the two latter with liis great ii\:;ls
1. two "!• three other 1 - "l Siward and Leofrio Bromton indeed
work repugnant to the feelings of our age. in thai Emma «;i^ Bpoiled
Such are the disinterment 0] Harold the " Godwini oonsiliis," but it ia clear that it
■ > ' ter, and the w ta done by Badward'a mi re tion, and
bj her on Dr. Lappenberg baa made out a tolerably
■ -i But in none of theae is God- \ ' ein the Kii u I cation,
i 1 the sole or the prime ' Palgrave and one or two other modern
II don< by the command writ< ra bint ;>i it , lmt I remember nothing
mil < iiiilwiiic hi ilu< sun in 1 lie old authors, though
,; ears in company with so 1 Saxo dot make Harold murder an
1 11 n "i the !■• aim : in the ESadwnrd, even the holy king him elf,
two ■ ' ■ I Wc
ON THE LIFE AND DEATH OP EARL GODWINE. Gl
his country, but not neglecting his own or that of his
family. Like nearly every other exalted person of his time,
he did not scruple to enrich himself at the expense of the
monastic orders,0 and he showed more regard to political
than to ecclesiastical propriety in the promotion of Stigand
to the highest place in the English Church. His own family
he loaded with the honours of the state ; in promoting such
a son as Harold, he consulted the good of his country as
much as his own paternal feelings ; but it was an unworthy
nepotism which led to the restitution of the murderer Swegen.
The distinguishing point in God wine's character among the
Danes and English who surround him, is his being so eminently
and strictly a politician. He stands out as something quite
unlike the fierce, violent, generous, openhearted, bloody-
handed chief of vikings or bandits which one regards as
the type of the half-civilised leader of his day. He was
indeed a brave warrior, and owed his first promotion
in a great measure to his military capacity ; but the
character of the warrior is with him something altogether
secondary. His special home is not the battle-field, but the
Witenagemot : friends and enemies alike extol his eloquence,
his power of persuasion, which could sway his auditors in
what direction he pleased. His foes insinuate that while
thus gifted with the nobler, he did not altogether eschew
the baser arts which have been familiar to the politicians
of all ages. Bribes and promises, favour and disfavour
discreetly apportioned, are mentioned among the engines of
his policy. He is the minister, the parliamentary leader;
Eorl and Ceorl, Dane and Saxon, alike submit to his
influence, but it is always influence, never violence ; he is often
accused of fraud, never of force ;7 with any man of Teutonic
speech his controvers}7 is always one of words and policy ;
it is against the Norman alone that he resorts to the spear
and the battle-axe. A true politician, he knew how to bide
his time and adapt himself to circumstances ; an Englishman,
6 This accusation, as regards Godwine, got possession of the nunnery of Berkeley,
rests on the very unsuspicious testimony (See Fosbroke's History of Berkeley, p. 7.)
of the Chronicle ; as regards Harold, on No one can doubt that the story is the
the very suspicious one of Domesday. merest fable, but it marks the estimate
(See Ellis's Introduction,!. 313. ii. 142.) of the man. Godwine is represented as
1 Archdeacon Mapes, more familiarly gaining his point by art, Leofric or Siward
known by his Christian name, has trans- would probably have been introduced
mitted a strange story of the nefarious expelling the inmates vi et nrmis.
trick by which Godwine is said to have
OB THE LIFE AND DEATH OF feARL GODWINS.
the Future chief of the English party, he knew how to submit
to the Danish rule, and how to rise to greatness under it; he
knew also how Long thai rule was to he borne, and when it was
to be broken off. When first standing forth as the champion of
the sons of Emma, he yielded, because he saw resistance was
vain, to the - :i of the first Harold. When the male
line of the great Cnut was extinct, he saw (liar the moment
was come to raise up again the throne of Cerdic and Alfred,
and for England to have once more a King of her own
blood. The pretensions of Svend and of Magnus he entirely
aside ; perhaps, as Thierry imagines, he might have
secured his own election when Eadward was unwilling to
accept the proffered crown ; hut his ambition was of a
cautious and practical kind ; he knew that to rule in the
name of a weak sovereign was a less invidious position than
himself to wear a disputed diadem. According to a refined
political creed of which his times had no notion, he may
have earned the names of rebel and traitor by an armed
opposition to his sovereign, by returning like a conqueror
from the banishment to which Kingand Witan had sentenced
him. Godwine's guilt or innocence in the matter simply
turns upon tin' old question of non-resistance to authority
in any case. This I will not enter upon here. But
undoubtedly many Englishmen reverence the names of
I lampden and Sidney ; all. 1 believe, unite in homage to those
of Langton and Fitzwalter, and to the Great Charter which
they wrung by open rebellion from the despot of their
times. Winn Godwine appealed to arms against foreign
domination, beat least did do more than they. An atrocious
deed of blood Is perpetrated by the King's foreign favourites
within Godwine's own earldom ; in any case the King protects
the guilty, most probably he requires Godwine himself to
punish the innocent, [fa subject may in anj case <liaw his
Bword against his sovereign, surely he may in such a ease as
Unquestionable mo I m< oof the eleventh century allowed
themselves that libertj on far Blighter provocations. He is
banished, the euiltv remain unpunished, the foreign influence
U predominant, lie returns, prepared for battle indeed, but
do battle if Deeded ; everywhere he comes with a friendly
greeting, everywhere he is received as a friend. The voice
• .fan injured people demand his restoration ; placed again
m bifi old honoui there i nol the slightest sign of any
ON THE LIFE AND DEATH OP EARL GODWIN E. 63
deviation from his old politic moderation ; not an English-
man is harmed in life, limb, or estate ; of the foreigners
themselves not a man is personally injured, even banishment
is confined to those who had wrought injustice in the realm.
Whatever his birth and parentage, whether the son of the
South-Saxon captain or of the western peasant, he had won
his greatness for himself; he died the virtual sovereign of
England, and transmitted his power to a nobler, hardly a
greater, successor. Between him and his son there is the
same sort of difference as between the great father and son
of Macedonian history ; Godwine is the Philip, Harold the
Alexander, of his house. Harold appears as a hero, with all
the virtues and the faults of the heroic character ; Godwine
is as far from a hero as any man on record ; a cool, crafty,
deliberate politician ; moderate, conciliatory, persuasive, not
clear perhaps from fraud and corruption, but never tempted
into violence or insolence. Traitor or no traitor, he was at
least England's chosen leader ; he ruled her well, and she
mourned his loss. We have seen his character as drawn by
his enemies, let us conclude with the picture as transmitted
by admiring and lamenting friends. The old biographer of
Eadward, quoted by Stow,s knows not, or regards not, the
accusations of perfidy against the father, of violence against
the son. In his eyes Godwine and Harold stand forth as the
pattern of every princely virtue.
" Duke Godwine (saith he) and his sonnes being reconciled
to the King, and the country being quiet, in the second yeere
after died the said duke of happie memorie, whose death
was the sorrow of the people ; him their father, him the
nourisher of them and the kingdome with continuall weeping
they bewailed ; he was buried wTith worthie honor in the old
]\I<»nasterie of Winchester, giving to the same church gifts,
ornaments, and rentes of lands. Harold succeeded in his
8 Stow quotes from what he calls original which he employed. If anyone
"Vita Edwardi;" now the only "Vita should object, with M. de Donneehose
Edwardi " I know is that of iEthelred of (ii. 100), to its authority, that an author
Rievaux, who certainly speaks in a who dedicates his work to Queen Eadgyth
widely different strain. I perceive that is not altogether an unprejudiced witness
Dr. Lingard (i. 344) quotes second-hand as to the character of her father and
from Stow, and Mr. Thorpe (Lappenberg, brother, it is easy to place him in a
ii. 250) and M. de Bonnechose (ii. 92) dilemma; as these who give the worst
third-hand from Dr. Lingard. But Stow character of Godwine and Harold add
cannot have invented the bit grapby, and that Eadgyth did not at all resemble
1 trust that some one versed in MSS.. and them, and even took the Norman side
early printed books may discover the ugainst the latter.
64 ON TIIK LIFE AND DEATH OF EARL GODWINS.
Dukedome, which was a great comfort to the whole English
nation, for in vertue both of bodie and minde ho excelled all
people as another .In las Macchabeus, and was a friende to his
countrie, diligently supplying his father's place, and walking
in his Bteppes, that is to say. in patience, mercie, and
afifabilitie to well willers, but to disquiel persons, theeves,
ami robbers, with a lyon's countenance he threatened his
just Beveritie."
EDWARD A. FREEMAN.
Win ii originally writing the present essay, I was not
aware that tin' Chronicle of Radulphus Niger, referred to
by Sharon Turner in support of Godwine's peasant origin,
existed in print. I have since found that it was published
in L85] by the Caxton Society, and I have accordingly
referred to the passage. He gives us the following account
of Godwine : —
" Anno ah ineariiatione Domini mlxti Edwardus films
Ethelredi, frater Edmundi Ironside ex patre, frater et
Ilardeennti ex Emma niatre, suscepit regnum Anglorum,
auxilio Godwini comitis cujus filiam duxit, Bed earn minimi
cognovit, unde ambo in coelibatu permanserunt. I lie rex
Westmonasterium fecit el ditavit, multaque miracula ■
Godwinus comes filius bubidcifuit ; in mensa re^-is Edwardi
offa sufifocatus est, ft ab Earaldo filio sub mensa extractus.
Hie Godwinus a rege Cnutone nutritus, processu temporis
in Daciam emu breve regius transmissus,callide dux it sororem
Cnutonis." P. L60.
The l.i t paragraph I have already referred to. In an
earlier portion, under the reign of Harthacnut, lie gives his
version of the death ofiElired, which is Borneo bal Btrange : —
"Edwardum fratrem suum a Normannis revocans, secum
pacifice aliquamdiu habuit. Nam alter frater, Aduredus
Bcilicet, ad Btipitem ligatus a Godwino in Hely peremptus
ber decimatifi commilitonibus apud Guldedune, post
mortem Haroldi, antequam regnarel Hardecnutus consilio
indi archiepiscopi." I'. I 57.
The i' i i 1 1 1 < 1 1 \ of this Chronicle, though somewhat late,
ij without its value. Ii clearly points to an independent
h tradition as to Godwine's peasant origin, as it is
nii|>" to appose thai Etadulphua Niger borrowed bis
informal i"ii fr< 'in i be K nyl linca Sacra
ON THE BOOK OF DEVOTIONS,
DEPOSITED BY CARDINAL HOWARD IN THE LIBRARY OF THE DOMINICAN CONVENT AT
BORNHEIM IN 1659.
BY THE REV. JOSEPH HUNTER, F.S.A.
I am permitted by Lady Stourton to whom it now belongs,
to lay before the Institute a manuscript which will, I doubt
not, be found, both on account of its beauty as a work of
art, and of some circumstances of historical interest with
which it is surrounded, to be eminently deserving their
attention.
It is a book of Catholic devotions, one of the class called
Missals in ordinary parlance ; but like many other manu-
scripts usually so denominated, not a Missal in any proper
sense of the word, but one of the class more properly called
Ilorcp, being a miscellany of prayers, collects, psalms, anti-
phons and pious ejaculations, adapted to the private use of
a person of a devotional turn of mind ; and we may add,
for some person living in the world and not wholly given up
to the religious life. It is adorned with various miniatures,
representing, for the most part, early saints in the Christian
Calendar with principal events in their lives, or peculiar
events in the history of the Saviour. The text which follows
the drawings, has usually reference, more or less direct, to
the person or events which are there represented.
In form it is five inches by three and three quarters, and
two inches in thickness. It is of the finest vellum, and is
bound in crimson velvet, with silver corners slightly
enchased. The number of leaves is 284, and there are 34
large miniatures. The clasps have been removed. Some-
thing appears to be wanting which preceded the shield of
the arms of Hastings and the calendar at the beginning ;
and a very accurate observer who prepared an analysis of its
contents, Mr. C. Weld, has remarked a slight dislocation or
perhaps the loss of a leaf near the middle of the volume.
Besides the miniatures, there are ornamental borders to
VOL. XTT. K
OJN THE Book OF DEVOTIONS.
every page, consisting of flowers, animals, and arabesques,
well selected, varied, and drawn, while the larger works are
remarkable for the i.-i-t'1 with which they are designed, and
the delicacy with which they are executed. Attention may
be called to the architecture and back-grounds of many of
them, to the observance of the rules of perspective, to the
air which is given to the figures, and to the expression in
the countenances. Altogether, there are few works existing
of this class in England which in these respects can pretend
tn nioiv than a comparison with this manuscript, and
scarcely any thai surpass it in beauty.
It is a work of French or Flemish art ; and the costume
guides us with tolerable certainty, to the latter half of the
fifteenth century, 1470 to Usu, as the period of the execu-
tion. Concurring to the same conclusion, is the language
of a note in the English tongue near the beginning — "The
9ume of these Indulgences been xxvi. thousand yeres and
wwi. dales| This writen in the chapel of Jherusalem, and
this is registred in Rome/' This will at least prove that it
eannol bave been written much later than the date which is
here assigned to it.
Tin' introduction of these low words of English while all
the rest is in Latin, seems to show that it was prepared
originally for the use of some person of the English nation.
But this admits of still stronger proof from the selection
which is made of the names of s;iints whose days arc here
particularly indicated in the calendar. There is an evident
leaning to the introduction of the English saints. Thus we
have St. Chad, St. Cuthbert, St. Richard, Elphege, Dunstan,
AMliolin. Swithen, Wolfram, St. Alban, and some others;
persons whom an Englishman may be supposed to wish to
have placed in bis private calendar, bul not claiming parti*
cular interest with a poison of any other nation.
Assuming then, thai we have sufficienl reason to believe
thai it was a work of foreign art, French or Flemish, exe-
cuted by ;i person eminent in this branch of art, about a.d.
I 175, and prepared for the use <>l an Englishman, it may
ho added, thai bo costh a work would hardly have been pre-
pared hut at the expense of some poison of wealth and con-
sideration; .'Hi1 1 i ho next question is, are there any means of
determining for whom tin' hook was originally prepared.
It musl be acknowledged, that here wo have no external
ON THE BOOK OF DEVOTIONS. 67
evidence whatever : but the book seems itself to carry with
it an indication which can scarcely mislead, of the person
for whom it was executed, and to whom it originally
belonged.
On the first leaf we have an heraldic drawing of singular
beauty, and, doubtless, by the same hand that prepared the
miniatures in the volume. It presents the arms of Hastings,
the black maunch, surrounded by the Garter. Now this
must have been the insignia of some member of the family
of Hastings who had been admitted into the Order. Of
these there was only one who lived within the period to
which the book can possibly be assigned, namely, William,
Lord Hastings, who was made a Knight of the Garter in
1461. and who was put to death by the Protector, Richard,
Duke of Gloucester, in 1483. Two Hastings', in later gene-
rations of the family, viz. : Francis, Earl of Huntingdon,
elected into the Order in 1549, and Sir Edward Hastings,
Lord Hastings of Loughborough, in 1555, lived too late to
be the owner of the shield here so beautifully delineated.
We seem, therefore, driven to the conclusion that the
book was originally prepared for William, Lord Hastings,
the Lord Chamberlain in the reign of King Edward IV.
The religious character of Lord Hastings is manifested in
the ecclesiastical foundations made by him, and his care in
providing for the solemnities of his funeral and obits ; while
his long residence at Calais affords a presumption that he
may have been brought into connection with some eminent
French or Flemish artist, by whom the work was executed.
It did not, however, remain in the family of Hastings ;
and when we next get any authentic information respecting
it, Ave find it in possession of the family of the Earl of
Arundel, first, the Fitz- Alans (so called) or Arundels, and
next the Howards, who enjoyed that eminent dignity by
descent from the Arundels. It will be more convenient,
and the facts will be presented in a more intelligible manner,
if we trace the history of the book for the last two centuries
backwards, beginning with the present possessor.
It was acquired by Lady Stourton, in 1835, by purchase
from the English Dominicans in their convent at Hinckley,
in Leicestershire. This Society was settled originally at
Bornheim, near Antwerp ; they fled to England in 1794, when
the French overran the Low Countries. They first found a
68 ON Till: BOOK OF DEVOTIONS.
settlement at Carshalton, in Surrey, from whence, in 1810,
tin ■ \ removed to Einckley.1
This convent was founded in the year 1658, bythe Baron
ilr Bornheinij according to Mr. Petre, but Philip Howard,
a Dominican, (the third son of Henry Frederick, Earl of
Arundel) who was afterwards made a Cardinal, had so much
concern in the foundation, that he has usually been consi-
dered as tin- founder. He was, at least, the first Prior.
Among the gifts which he bestowed on the convent was
this precious volume. This had been the uniform tradition of
the House, and it is put beyond doubt, by a memorandum
in tin' hunk itself, in the hand-writing, as I am informed)
of Father Vincent Tony, who was for a long time the
Vicar-General of the Dominican Order in England, and a
contemporary of Cardinal Howard. It is in these terms :
"Conventus Anglo-Bornhemiensis, dono-datus ab Em'""
Dno Cardinal] de Norfolcia fundatore ejusdem Conventus,
1659.— V. T."
It is thus traced, on what we may deem sufficient evi-
dence, to the possession of a member of the house of Arundel
in the middle of the seventeenth century.
In a hand-writing of about a century earlier, we find
another piece of evidence to the connection of it at that
time with ;iii earlier member of the same illustrious house,
but one who lived before the dignity had descended upon
the Howards. This was Henry Arundel (or Fitz-Alan),
Lord Maltravers, then the son and heir-apparent of William,
Earl e|' Arundel, and himself afterwards Earl of Arundel,
the lasl of the earls of the ancient male line of that hon.se.
Maltravers, it need hardly be observed, was an old barony,
merged into the Earldom of Arundel, and was generally
adopted for the designation of (he eldest sons of the Earls
during their father's life. This Henry, Lord Maltravers, was
hem about the first year of the reign of King Henry
VIII.. 1509, and succeeded his father in I :> 13. Me bald
various offices of trust, and was indeed one of the most
conspicuous noblemen of the time. He died in 1579. The
book contains a couplet written h\ him on a blank leaf.
A brief genealogical statement will shew the descent from
of tin' English Colleger and.Convi dI i tabli bed on il><' Contini m." Bj
ill" Hon I dward Petre, :i", 1849, p. 1 1.'
ON THE BOOK OF DEVOTIONS. 69
him of Cardinal Howard, and the probability that a book
once his might fall into the Cardinal's hands.
Lord Maltravers and Earl of Arundel, had one son, Henry,
called Lord Maltravers, who died without issue in 1556, at
the age of nineteen, and two daughters ; Jane, Lady
Lumley, from whom there are no descendants, and Mary,
who married Thomas Howard, the fourth Duke of Norfolk
of the Howards. This lady died on August 25, 1557, at
Arundel Place, in the parish of St. Clement Danes, and there
her only child was born on the 28th of the preceding month
of July, a son named Philip. This Philip became Earl of
Arundel in right of his maternal descent, the superior title
of Duke of Norfolk having been lost by his father's attain-
der. Philip was the father of Thomas Howard, Earl of
Arundel, who is honoured in his line for the patronage
which he extended to the arts, and for his great services to
his country in having enriched it with so many choice
remains of antiquity. He was the father of Henry Frede-
rick, Earl of Arundel, the father of Cardinal Howard : so
that the Cardinal wras the fifth in descent from Henry,
Lord Maltravers, who has inscribed this couplet on a blank
page of the book : —
When you yor prayers doe rehers
Remembre Henry Mawtrevers.
These few words, however, open two questions, both re-
quiring to be answered if we propose to give a trustworthy
account of the descent of this book from persons who lived
in the reign of King Henry VIII. : First, to whom did
Lord Maltravers address this couplet 1 and secondly, how it
happened that when the book was in other hands than his,
it should still remain in the possession of the Arundel
family %
Both these questions may, I think, receive a satisfactory
solution.
And now it is necessary to advert to a circumstance to
which, hitherto, no allusion has been made, that there are
bound up with the beautiful book we have been treating of,
ten leaves, forming another book, similar in form to the one
before described, but of far inferior execution ; and similar
in subject also, being the " Office of the Holy Trinity." This
portion of the volume contains its own story : there being
70 OH THE BOOK OF DEVOTIONS.
written in it in the hand of* the Princess Mary, daughter of
King Henry VJI1. the following "words : —
Myne own.- good Kate a*- ofte as you can not se me bndyly with your
prayers I pray you vygyte me and tryth tins specially because
it is to ih<- hole Trynitielwherin you Bhal doo a great pleasure
unto me whycb am your lovyng mystres and ( vex \\vll be
M VHYE
Tin' ten-leaved book, annexed to the principal book, was
therefore the gift of the Princess Mary to some lady of
her household, then about to leave her service, and the
lady's name was Catherine. We have further assistance
towards ascertaining who this lady was, in finding depicted
on tli«' second leaf the arms of Arundel ; but not Arundel
only, but Arundel quartering Maltravers, plainly guiding us
in the Lord Maltravers of the time. And when we find
that the Lord Maltravers. of whom we have been speaking,
married a lady of rank whose name was Catherine, is it too
much to presume thai this was a farewell gift of the Princess
Mary to a lady of her household, in contemplation of her
becoming Lady Maltravers '. Or thai the other portion of
the volume was a gift, at the same time, of Lord .Maltravers
to the same Lady, who caused them both to be bound
together in the volume as we now have it.
There is something of the sentimental in the couplet
inscribed by Lord Maltravers, which certainly favours the
notion that if it were presented by him, it was presented
under no ordinary circumstances : a signification not onbj of
more than common regard, inn of a devotional spirit in the
giver, and a recognition of the same spirit in the person to
whom it was presented: while this view of the Bubject
explains in the mosi satisfactory manner how the hook
remained in the family of Arundel, and descended in the
line of that house. Or if it be thought too bold a conjec-
ture, that it was presented as a token of affection to Lady
Catherine by Lord Maltravers before their marriage, the
interesting supposition may be formed respecting it,
thai it had been the property of Lady Catherine before her
marriage, and that this couplet bad been written in it by
Maltravers either before or subsequent to their union.
Blither supposition serves equally well to show how it is
found descending from the time of King Henry VIII. in
the line of the Earl of Arundel, Bince ii was from this
ON THE BOOK OF DEVOTIONS. 71
union that the persons who afterwards enjoyed the dignity
of Earl of Arundel descended. The question simply is,
whether it is more probable that the book was an offering
of gallantry or affection to the young lady, who was about
to become his bride, or that it was already hers, and she
permitted him, before or after marriage, to inscribe the
couplet, intended to call him to her remembrance in her
more serious hours.
The Lady Catherine, who married Lord Maltravers, was
one of the daughters of Thomas Grey, Marquis of Dorset ;
and though I have not succeeded in finding any list of the
household of the Princess Mary sufficiently early, yet it is
highly probable that she may have been one of that house-
hold, and spoken to by the Princess in the terms of familiarity
which we see that she used : for she was no very distant
relative of the Princess ; her grandfather, Thomas Grey,
Marquis of Dorset, having been half-brother to Queen
Elizabeth of York, grandmother of the Princess. Add, that
the Greys were a cultivated, a learned, and a devout family,
and that Lord Maltravers, then become Earl of Arundel, was
a strenuous supporter of the claims of the Princess Mary to
the crown, even as against the claims of the Lady Jane Grey,
who was niece to Lady Catherine.
On the whole then, the history of the book seems to be
this : — that it was prepared by some eminent French or
Flemish artist for William, Lord Hastings, the Lord Deputy
of Calais about the year 1475 : that it passed, it is not
known how, into the possession of either the family of
Grey or that of Arundel, and was the property of the
Countess of Arundel, who was originally Lady Catherine
Grey, one of the household of the Princess Mary; that while
in her possession, there was bound up with it a smaller
piece, being " The Office of the Holy Trinity," which had
been a present to Lady Catherine from the Princess ; that
they became jointly the property of the grandson of Lady
Catherine and the Lord Maltravers Earl of Arundel, Philip
Howard, Earl of Arundel, from whom they descended to his
great grandson, Philip Howard, who bestowed the book on
his convent of Dominicans at Bornheim ; that it remained in
the possession of this community when, in 1794, they fled
to England ; and that it was disposed of by them to its
present possessor in 1835.
72 <>N THE BOOK OF DEVOTIONS.
It remains to 1"' added, that while the manuscript was in
possession of the Dominicans at Bornheim, and they were
still residing at that place, it was broughl under the notice
nf English antiquaries in a communication to the Gentle-
man's Magazine, anonymous, but by Mr. Webb, who gave
a brief description <>f it. This was booh followed by a com-
munication from tin1 Abbe Mann, of Brussels, containing fur-
ther details, including fac-similes of tin- couplet written by
Lord Maltravers, ami of the motive inscription of the Prin-
cess Mary, Both these writers followed a tradition of the
Dominicans that the manuscript had been the property of
Mary, Queen of Scots, and presented by her to one of her
attendants, named Catherine. But this attribution of it
was shown to be erroneous, in a subsequent communication to
tin same Miscellany, by Mr. Brooke, the Somerset Herald at
Arms, who perceived, what no one could doubt, that the hand
writing of the passage subscribed with the name "Marve"
was nut that of the Queen of Scots, but of the Princess
Mary of England, lie also pointed out Lady Catherine
Grey as the lady to whom, in all probability, the latter por-
tion of the volume had been presented, ami he showed how
it would naturally descend from Lord and Lady Maltravers
to Philip Howard, the Cardinal of Norfolk. These commu-
oications maybe found in Gent. Mag. lor 1789, pp. 77!' and
1078; and for L790, p. 33.
<©rtgtnal ^Documents.
LETTER RELATING TO THE WARS OF EDWARD III. IN FRANCE,
AND THE PUBLIC AFFAIRS IN THE YEAR 1346.
FOUND AMONGST THE MUNIMENTS OF ALAN CLAYTON LOWNDES, ESQ. OF BARHINGTON
HALL, ESSEX, AND COMMUNICATED BY WILLIAM CLAYTON, ESQ.
We are indebted to Mr. Clayton for a transcript of an original letter,
without date, addressed to "Dame Alys de la Rokele," by some person
unnamed, who should seem to have been in attendance on Queen Isabella,
widow of Edward II. It communicated some news that had reached the
Queen of a great battle, in which the King of Navarre, the Duke of
Burgundy, Sir John of France, the Duke of Normandy, the Count of
Blasois, the Duke of Athens, the Duke of Britany, the Count of Ilurbonie
(qy. Aubigny), the Count of Blois, and the Count of Armagnac had been
taken prisoners. It also mentioned a victory by the fleet of the north over
the Scots, and the taking of Calais and Boulogne. It is written in French,
on a slip of parchment lOf inches by 2.-J-, and was found among the
muniments of Alan Clayton Lowndes, Esq. of Barrington Hall, Essex,
annexed to a roll in the nature of a rent-roil or custumal, showing the rents
and services of the tenants of the Manor of Wykes, near Manningtree, in
the same county. The roll bears date the 27th Edw. L, but the letter
must of course have been written several years later. On the back of
the letter, in a contemporary hand, were some memoranda or notes of
services (days' work), partly rendered and partly due, of some tenants
of the Manor of Wykes, and among them of a few who, from the difference
in christian names only from some on the roll, were probably their sons or
other heirs. The letter read in extenso, except where the abbreviated
words seem to admit of doubt, is as follows :
Honn's ez reuerencys en touez chosys trechere dame, volyez sawer qe
ce sunt le nouelys qe vynderunt ale Reygne Issabel ore lundi procheyn de
le grauns qe sunt prys de Fraunce, le roy de Nawerne, le duk de Burgoyne,
Syre Johan de Fraunce, duk de Normondye, le counte de Blasoyne, le duk
de Athoneys, le duk de Bretaynne, le counte de Hurbonie, le counte
de Bloys, le counte de Ermanak. Ez sews furunt le seyniurys qe fuerunt
de le baytalye. Ez barount de Stafforde ez Cralbe, ez Syre Johan Darsy,
cu le ' flote de Norz, sucrunt de vers les ezscos, ez les pryterunt, ez les hut
amene a noztere seyniur le roy. Ez la vile de Caleys la meyte ezt ars, ez
la vile rendu; ez la vile de Boloynie ezt ars ez rendu: ez nous ahuiiz -
perdu nos archerys ez gransmye 3 de nos awtre gens.
§ Adcuz trechere dame ez vou doyne bono vye ez lono-e. A dame Alys
de la Rokele.
' In the original, " le le flote." ' Grauns mye ! great part My or mi,
" Probably " ahvuiiz," tor avons. the half. See Lacombe, au«l Kclham.
vol.. XII. I.
7 I ORIGIN \l. DOCUMENTS.
This news it has been found impossible to identify with any events of that
period. It must have been false in its details, though most likely some
it battle had been fought, the results of which were thus misrepresented.
At no time do we find the above-mentioned princes and nobles, or the
greater part of them, prisoners. Boulogne was not taken by the English at
the same time as Calais; and the surrender of the latter was not contem-
poraneous with any great battle. The report respecting those towns makes
it evident that the letter was written while the war was carried on in that
part of Frame, and before Calais had been any considerable time in the
possession of the English. The only campaign in that locality before the
taking of Calais was that in L346-7, which was signalised by the victory
of Creasy, and the siege and surrender of Calais. That battle was fought
on the 26th of August, 1 3 4 G . The victorious Edward, without delay,
marched through the Rouhmnois, burnt St. Josse, Neuchatel, and Bstaples,
and reached Calais on the 31st of August. The siege commenced a few
days after, and continued till August in the following year, when the place
surrendered ; it remained in the hands of the English till 1558. The
affair of the fleet with the Scots is not very intelligible. Lord Stafford
was at Cressy, and therefore could hardly have been in that expedition.
David, King of Scots, was taken prisoner at Neville's Cross, in October
1346. An attack by the fleet may have occurred shortly before that event,
but was less likely to have happened in the following year. We may
therefore conclude from all these circumstances, that the battle referred to
was that of Cressy, and that the letter was written very shortly after it,
viz.. early in September, 1^-lG.
We have not found the names of any distinguished prisoners taken at
Cre--v. Froissart is silent on the subject, and from the description of the
battle it is most likely they were very few . The I 'mint of Blois was among the
sl.iin : Lord Aubigny was present and attended King Philip from the field ;
the Duke of Normandy, afterwards King John, was engaged in the siege of
Aiguillon, in Guienne ; the Duke of Britany, Charles of Blois, was taken
prisoner the following year at Roche d' Errien. If the King of Navarre and
Duke of Burgundy had borne a share in that campaign, much more, had
they been captured, Froissart would hardly have failed to mention them.
Boulogne, near Paris, had been taken and burnt a few weeks before: this
may account for the report as to Boulogne-sur-mer, which no doubt was
the town meant in the letter.
Though not able to discover exactly who Maine Alys de la Rokele was.
we would make a estionj ae i" how this letter may have happened
to find a place among the muniments of the Barrington Hall Estate. The
memoranda at the back seem to show that, baving fulfilled its miBBion, it
came into the hands of some steward of the manor mentioned in the Roll
to which it was annexed, who made that use ol the back of it to winch at
nil times letters bave been subject, uml noted thereon a few particulars
to what tenants' services were in arrear ; and though attached to the
Roll for a temporary purpose, it baa accidentally been preserved to the
pr< i nl time. We are thus led to look for some connexion between the
rard and the lady to whom the lettei was addressed; and if, after so
long a time, we should find the evidence fail to show this distinctly, we maj
perhaps be able to establish g I grounda for believing that such a
coi .it In Hadox's Form. Angl., p. 349, \t a powei oi
attorney from William de Bohun, Earl oi Northampton, dated at Raxnsden
ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS. 75
Belhouse (Essex), the 6th of June, in 33 Edward III. (1359), authorising
his dear and well-beloved Godfrey de la Rokele to deliver seisin of certain
lands at Duwnham (Essex) that had been given by the Earl in exchange,
and to accept seisin of others that had been taken in lieu of them. This
was business likely to be transacted by a steward. A few years later, viz.,
in 44 Edward III. (1370). a Godfrey de Rokele was steward of the Honor of
Rayleigh and Hundred of Rochford, in Essex,1 which then belonged to
Humphry de Bohim, who, as heir both of his father and uncle, was Earl of
Hereford, Essex, and Northampton ; the same having been granted by Ed-
ward III. in 1340 to his father, William de Bohun Earl of Northampton, who
died in 1360.- This family, as is well known, held numerous manors in Essex.
Among them were those of Wykes and Hatfield Regis ; the former had been
confirmed in tail general to William Earl of Northampton in 6 Edward III.
(1333), 3 and on his death it descended to his before-mentioned Bon
Humphry, Earl of Hereford, Essex, and Northampton, who died, seised of
it in 1372 ; 4 the latter, which in the seventeenth century became part of
the Barrington Hall Estate, also devolved on him, having been granted to
his grandparents Humphry de Bohun, Earl of Hereford and Essex, and the
Princess Elizabeth his wife, and their heirs, by her brother Edward II.5
Another part of their patrimonial property was the seiguory of the Manor
of South Okendon, in Essex, which for several generations had been held
of them by the Essex family of Rokele ; but had been recently carried, by
the marriage of one of two coheiresses of the elder branch, to the family of
Bruyn.6 The Rokeles were a knightly family, and the coheiress who
married a Bruyn, namely Isolda, daughter of Philip de Rokele who died in
1295, was one of the ladies attending on Queen Eleanor,' the mother of
Edward II. and Princess Elizabeth, Countess of Hereford and Essex. If,
as seems highly probable, a cadet of the Rokele family were steward to
either of the Earls above-mentioned, that was not by any means an ignoble
condition, unbecoming the son of a knight ; but an office to which, seeing
the long feudal relationship that had subsisted between the two families, he
was likely to have been appointed ; and the interval of twenty-four years
between the supposed date of this letter and the time when Godfrey de
Rokele appears to have been steward of the Honor of Rayleigh and
Hundred of Rochford, does not render it improbable that he may also have
been the steward of Wykes and other manors of William Earl of North-
ampton, when the letter was written. Dame Alys de la Rokele, whom we
do not find mentioned elsewhere, may have been his mother or other near
relative, if not his wife. The connexion of the Rokeles with the Bohuns
fully suffices to account for her having some friend in the Court of Queen
Isabella, and as Humphry, Earl of Hereford and Essex, and his brother
William, Earl of Northampton, were actively engaged in the campaign of
1346, the Rokeles, and especially the steward of the latter, could not fail
to take great interest in the events of the war, even if none of their own
family were among the retainers who fought under the banner of the gallant
Earl William, when he led the second divison at Creasy.
\V. S. WALFORD.
1 Cal. Rot. Pat. p. 186; Morant, i. * Morant, to.
p. 277. ■ Morant, ii. p. 503.
-' Morant, i. p. -74. " Morant, i. p. 99.
3 Cal.Rot.l'at. p. llo ; Morant, i. p.lu'7. ' Ibid, and Hail. MS. 1541, p. .'».
Poccrtiings at the /tunings of the :iUchncoIogicnl Institute.
December 1, IS") 1.
(i.taviis fiiOBGAK, Esq. M.P., F.S.A., in the Chair.
Mr. IfoBOAH gave the following description of a remarkable Roman
tomb, vi rv recently found at Caerwent, Monmouthshire : —
" On 20th November last, a curious ancient Bepulohre was discovered by
Borne workmen who were making deep drains in a field in the immediate
-~ vicinity of Caerwent, Monmouthshire. The
field adjoins the south side of the turnpike
load leading from Caerwent to Newport ;
the grave is about 20 feet from the road,
and about a quarter of a mile from Caer-
went. This road is a portion of the Julia
Strata, the ancient Roman way, which
passed through the middle ot the rectangular
space enclosed within the stone walls of the
Roman station, Venta Silunun, or Caer-
went.1 It is probable that other graves
may exist by the side of this road, though
p the drainers have not met with any re-
mains of that nature.
" The grave, of which the top was about
four feet below the surface, consisted of an
oblong outer chamber, 8 feet 9 inches
long. '.'> feet 6 inches wide, and 3 feet high,
neatly constructed with large thin slahs of
paving stone without anj cement. The
sides oonsisted each of two slabs, one of
which was li feel long and ."> wide, and
the other smaller, l' feel 9 inches by 3
feel ; the ends consisted each of one slab.
The slabs were about 3 inches thick,
\eiv neatly squared, and being set upon
-J their edges, formed B rectangular chamber,
■ i . — i — i — j the earth retaining them in their position.
Within this ohamber was a large roughly
bewn stone coffin, formed out <>i a single
block of the buff-coloured and tone found in the neighbourhood, the
t lui ton rod of the New Ps sage. This coffin was externally < feel 3
\ | . ii. on, and an account
ii in < 'u\<' a
i Monmouth ihire, vol I
Roman remains Found there are described,
\ rcbsologia, rol. ii. p. 8 ; i ol, f» p. 40 :
vol mi. p 1 10.
THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL INSTITUTE.
I I
inches long, by 3 feet at the head, 2 feet 6 inches at the feet, and 2 feet
in depth. The space between the coffin and the slabs forming the walls of
the chamber, was closely filled in with what seemed to be small coal,
onburnt, rammed in tight and hard. This only came up to the top of the
coffin, which was covered with a very large slab of the same stone, 8 inches
thick, roughly hewn like the coffin, without any letters, characters,
emblems, or sculpture of any kind. The top of this stone was some inches
1 2 3 FEET.
Section ot a Roman Tomb found at Caerwent.
below the upper edge of the upright slabs forming the chamber, and the
cavity between the sides and ends of the cover of the coffin, and the walls
of the chamber was, as it were, roofed in by smaller slabs of paving stone
which rested on the top of the cover and the edges of the slabs. This is
the description I received from the workmen who found it, but who before
they gave notice to any one opened and examined it, and it had been rifled
before I beard of the discovery. On removing the stone cover, the stone chest
was found to contain a leaden coffin. This, however, consisted of a closely
fitting leaden lining of the cavity in the stone, soldered at the corners, and
lapped about 1^ inches upon the sides of the stone coffin, the exterior edge
of which is somewhat rounded, as shown in the section. The lid of the
leaden lining was a plain oblong sheet of lead laid over the cavity, and
unsoldered ; it had been, however, supported by three iron bars laid across
the cavity for that purpose, but these were so corroded by decay as to
have become only a mass of yellow ochreous rust, and had fallen to the
bottom, leaving however marks on the lead and stone. On stripping back
the lead, the workmen told me the coffin was found to be filled with clear
water, at the bottom of which the skeleton was lying, partly covered with
ochreous sediment. They emptied out all the water, took out all the
bones, and carefully felt with their hands through all the sediment, in the
hopes of, as one told me, of finding rings, and from what I have since
heard there is reason to believe that something was found, though they
78 PROCEEDINGS AT MEETINGS OF
declared to me that they found nothing. The interior of the leaden lining
w.i- 6 feet 3 inches long, and 18 inches wide at the head, 16 at the feet,
and 1- inches deep. The head was towards the east, and the hones were
of a fnll-grown man in the prime of life, as I judge from the state
of the jaw and the teeth : the workmen had, however, extracted all the
teeth, and though the bones were tolerably hard, the skull was broken in
l'\ having fallen down, and most of the hones were altogether
wanting, or broken up. In the absence of all sculpturo or inscription, and
anything that may have been found in the coffin having been lost, it is
impossible to form any conjecture as to the person interred ; from the
locality we may, 1 tliink, conclude that he was a Roman inhabitant of
Caerwent, and a person of distinction from the mode of his interment.
Specially remarkable circumstances, however, seem to me to be, the leaden
lining to the Btone coffin, and the singular fact of the coffin being sur-
rounded by a closely rammed body of small coal. This must have been
brought from a considerable distance, the nearest spots now known from which
Ould be procured being either the Forest of Dean, or the Monmouth-
shire coal field, either being some 12 or 15 miles distant. In the excava-
tions made to get to the grave, a great quantity of large pieces of stones
of different sorts were found. Borne were of the Charston sandstone, some
of hard grit stone, and some mountain limestone. Many were much
blackened with smoke, some were reddened by the action of lire, and
Borne of the limestone was partly burnl into lime on the outside. I was
informed that these stones had the appearance of having been arranged as
forming flues, or passages to carry off smoke, and that one run in the
direction of the road, and another towards Caerwent. 1 did not, however,
see them, and it is difficult to understand the use of BUch flues of rough
Stones, apart from any building, and running near the then surface of the
ground, perhaps in a heap of stones above it. The ground in the vicinity
of the coffins had all been tilled in, and consisted of gravelly earth and
stones of various sizes, but these larger stones were all together near the
grave, though rather above it, and between it and the road. The field
- meadow, of which the surface was a smooth sward, with no
indication of anj thing beneath it."
Btone cists containing coffins of had, of the Roman period, have very
rarelj been found in England. Mr. Hawkins Btated, in his account of the
Roman sarcophagus found in the MinorieB, and now preserved at the
British Museum, that it presented the only example of that mode of inter-
ment which had fallen under bis observation.5 Hasted relates that in
ftVel at Whatinere Hall, in the parish of Slurry, Kent, a large
slab wa- ton ml at B depth of 5 feet, under w hich wa> a -tone coll in enclos-
aother of lead, put together in six pieces without solder. It con-
ta ned a skeleton of small Mature. An earthen found near the
spot, which was Bituated on or v« r\ mar the Roman toad from Canterbury
to the station at Reculver.
Mr. STates observed that the remarkable feature of the interment
bed bj Mr. Morgan, namely, the coal used for filling the space
around the stom ted the enquiry whether coal had been used
I or worked to any extent by the Romans, during their occupation
ot Britain. Ii wa probable that their workings were not carried to any
,\l • I- ■ I I I I' 'I I ll I "I K< III, VOl Ml. |i G I ...
THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL INSTITUTE. 79
great (lcpt)i, and in some parts of South Wales it was well known that
coal might he ohtained almost immediately under the surface.
Mr. Clayton remarked that according to the facts which had fallen under
his observation in Northumberland, in the course of his late explorations at
Housesteads and other sites on the Roman wall, there is abundant
evidence that fossil fuel was used by the Romans. The Stations per lineam
valli were certainly supplied with coal, which must have proved a valuable
resource in that severe climate ; traces of ancient workings had been
observed, and in the buildings which Mr. Clayton had excavated, he had
repeatedly observed the soot and cinders, indicating frequent use of coal in
the Roman settlements in the north.
Mr. MORGAN observed that he hoped to see the site of Venta Silurian,
which might be termed the Monmouthshire Pompeii, fully explored ; such
an investigation could not fail amply to repay the labours of the archaeolo-
gist, and it had for some time past been contemplated by the Caerleon
Antiquarian Association. He hoped that a commencement would be made
during the ensuing spring.
The Rev. Joseph Hunter gave an account of an illuminated Book of
Prayers, presented to the convent of Bornheim by Cardinal Howard, and
produced on this occasion by the obliging permission of Lady Stourton,
now the possessor of this beautiful MS. Mr. Hunter's memoir is given in
this volume. See page 65.
Mr. Alexander Nesbitt gave the following description of the " Dun-
vegan Cup," which, through the kindness of Norman Mac Leod, Esq.,
was brought for examination. A representation of this curious wooden
vessel was communicated to the Society of Antiquaries by W. Daniell,
Esq., R. A., in 1819, and it has been engraved in the Archasologia,
vol. xxii., pi. 33, p. 407. Another representation, from a drawing by
Mrs. Mac Leod, is given by Dr. Wilson, in his " Prehistoric Annals,"
p. 670.
" The very singular drinking-cup known as the Dunvegan Cup, from its
having been long preserved at Dunvegan Castle, in the Isle of Skve, as an
heirloom of the Mac Leods of Mac Leod, has been mentioned by Sir Walter
Scott in the notes to the Lord of the Isles, by Dr. Wilson in his
Archaeology and Prehistoric Annals of Scotland, and in the Proceedings
of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland for 1852, vol. i., p. 8. The
extreme rarity of such examples of the skill of ancient Irish silversmiths,
and the very curious nature of its ornamentation, may warrant a somewhat
more detailed notice than has hitherto been published.
" It is a cup of wood, probably either yew or alder, such as in Ireland is
called a ' mother, ' square above and rounded below, placed on four legs,
and almost covered with mountings of silver, decorated with niello and
gilding ; the whole measures 10| inches in height, A\ inches in breadth at
the mouth, and 5.J, at the broadest point, which is somewhat below the
middle. Dr. Wilson (Proc. of the Soc. of Antiqu. of Scotland, 1852,
Part I., p. S) surmises that the cup is older than the inscription, which is
on a broad silver rim at the mouth, and bears the date of 1403 ; however
this may be, there can be no doubt that the whole of the ornamental
mounting is of the same period, or that this period is not far distant from
the date given by the inscription. The same ornaments in niello are to be
found upon the rim at the mouth and on the lower part, and the pierced
work of parts shows an evident imitation of the tracery and foliations of a
80 PBOCEEDINGfl AT KRETINGS OF
late period of pointed architecture ; mixed, however, with those, are to be
fouiul the filagree ornaments and the knotwork which in England charac-
terise the work, of very early times, but which are well known to have
remained in 086 in Ireland until native art was entirely superseded by
English, and in the Celtic parte of Scotland, almost until our own time.
There are no traces of that singular ornamentation produced by the inter-
lacing of animals bo much used in Irish work of the Kith and XI 1th
centuries, That dislike of uniformity and the ingenuity in inventing new-
varieties of ornament, which are manifested in Irish work of all dates, are
fully displayed here ; with very \'< * exceptions, all the corresponding parts,
though alike in form, have entirely different ornaments.
" Many different processes have been employed in the decoration of the
silver mountings, viz., gilding, which has been used on almost every part
of the Burface not covered by niello; inlaying of niello into patterns out for
its reception ; raising a pattern in relief in thin silver, probably by stamping
with a die ; piercing plates with foliated openings; attaching wires of various
sizes and forms, some flat and some twisted, or filagree work ; and engraving.
Besides these, additional variety of effect has been produced by placing
behind BOme of the pierced openings small plates of silver hatched or
engraved on their surface, and not gilt, in order that they might contrast
with the gilded silver through which the openings are pierced ; behind other
openings remains of cloth are found, winch, though now completely faded
and almost colourless, may once, by its bright colour, have produced an
effective contrast to the surrounding metal. Empty sockets remain which
once held Btones 01" glass, and others of smaller size still retain heads of
coral.
" These various methods of decoration are applied in the following
manner ; the mouth has a rim of solid silver gilt, 2 inches in depth, on the
opteide of which is engraved an inscription in black letter and in two lines;
the Bpace8 between the letters are hatched with fine lines intersecting
diagonally. The angles of the rim have strips ornamented with niello.
Tie- inside is unite plain, excepting that the letters il)<3 are repeated on
each side upon a small hatched Bpace.
•' Aln.nt 1 ' inches above the feel is a projecting ledge •: of an inch in
width; tlii- is covered with thin silver; that which covers the upper
surface is ll.it, and bears a raised pattern, apparently stamped : the under
surface is curved and plain. At each angle of the upper Burface is one of
the empty ockets mentioned above, and on each side two three-sided
pyramids with granulated surface-, making them resemble piles of pins'
heads, From the rim to the ledges run straight strip- of thin silver
embracing the angles ; Lh< se are stamped <>r repoussd in patterns, and in
other part- pierced, and the surface covered with oielloor gilding ; beneath
the openings small pieces of i agraved silver have beeu placed, most (,t' crhioh
are now (ranting ; by this meani three different col >. viz., those ,,f the
gilding, tin- ilver, and the niello, are broughl into play. Midway between
are other bands, I ol an b broad, the central parts of whioh are
enlarged into circles of J ' inch diameter; thi te bands are highly ornamented
with filagree ol rieti of pattern, and with pierced foliated openings;
<>■ of the circle these opening ■ are .. arranged as in boi legree to
nble tin- ti circular < lotbic window.
" In between the hands in the centre and at the angles both
and below, was fixed a mall lip of silver gilt, and ornamented with
THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL INSTITUTE. 81
filagree, 1| inch long by ) inch broad, each slip having a small coral bead
at one end ; of these only seven now remain.
" In the part below the ledge, the central bands are similar (though of
different patterns) to those occupying the same position above ; those at
the angles, however, differ from the angle-bands of the upper part; they
are wider, and are ornamented with filagree, disposed in compartments
divided by narrow strips, with patterns in niello. There are no small
strips on this part of the cup.
" These bands all meet a circle 3 inches in diameter, which bears upon it
a knot pattern ; in the centre of this, at the bottom of the cup, is an
empty socket, 1 1 inch in diameter, which no doubt once held either a
stone or a piece of mosaic glass.
" The legs are meant to represent human legs, but show no attempt at
correct modelling; their only ornament is a twisted wire running down the
front ; the feet are covered by shoes, which have a coating of niello, the
legs being gilt.
" From the above detail, it will be seen that the cup, when in a perfect
state, presented a very curious polychromatic effect; including that of the
wood, not less than six, and perhaps even seven, colours were brought into
play in its decoration.
" Excepting in the rim, the silver is used with great economy ; it is too
thin to possess sufficient strength, and accordingly many parts have
suffered much from handling ; in such portions of the ornament as are much
raised, the filagree work is fixed upon thin plates which are let into sockets,
and the back is packed with cloth or pieces of wood.
" The inscription on the rim is in that character in which many letters (as
i, m, n, and u) are scarcely distinguishable ; it has consequently been
repeatedly mis-read ; which has happened particularly with the proper names.
The following reading, that of Mr. Eugene Curry, of the Brehon Law
Commission, it is believed, is correct : —
Kahla inge y neill uxor ioh'is meg
93° Oculi omn i | te spat doe et tu das
uigir p'ncipis de
esca illor I te op°
firraanac me n*
fecit. Atio do'. 14.
i.e. Katherina ingen ui Neill (O'Neill's daughter) uxor Johannis
Meguighir (Mac Guire) principis de Firmanach (Fermanagh) me fieri fecit.
Anno Domini, 1493°. Oculi omnium in te spectant Domine et tu das
escam illorum in tempore opportune
" The latter part, it will be seen, is the 15th verse of the 144th Psalm.
" John Mac Guire is mentioned several times in the Annals of the Four
Masters; he became one of the chiefs of the clan in 1484, when two
Maguires were nominated after the murder of Gilla Patrick by his five
brothers, at the altar of the church of Achadh-Uchair. Nothing is recorded
of him in these annals except the successful forays which he made chiefly
upon other branches of the Maguires, and his death in 1503, which is thus
chronicled : —
" 1503. Maguire, i.e. John, son of Philip, son of Thomas More, i.e.
Gilla Duv, the choice of the Chieftains of Ireland, in his time the most
merciful and humane of the Irish, the best protector of his country and
lands, the most warlike opponent of inimical tribes and neighbours, the
best in jurisdiction, authority, and reputation, both in Church and State,
died in his fortress at Enniskillcn, on Sunday, the 7th of the Calends of
VOL. XII. M
82 PROCEEDINGS AT MEETINGS OF
April, after having heard mass, and after the victory of Unction ami
Penance, and was buried in the monastery of the friars at Donegal, which
he had selected " (as his place of interment).
" Of Katharine O'Neill no notice seems to occur in these Annals."
Mr. Walford communicated the following notice of the fragment of a
sepulchral brass, purchased in London for the British Museum. It is a
portion of a .-mall kneeling figure in armour, No clue has been obtained
srtain from what church it had been taken.
The quarterings upon the tabard of the figure on this brass are as
follows: 1. Lozengy arg. and </«., Fitz William; 2. Chequy or andoer.,
Warenne; ■">. Arg. a chief gu., overall a bend <<:., Cromwell; 4. Chequy
or and gu., a chief erm., Tatshall; 5. Erm. a fess gu., Barnake; 6. Arg.
."> cinquefoils and a canton gu., Dry by of Tatshall; 7. Gu. a lion ramp, or,
Albini; 8. Az. 3 garbs or, Blundeville; 9. A:, a wolf's head erased arg.,
Lupus; 10. Arg. a cross engrailed gu., Green of Drayton; 11. Chequy
('/•and a~. within a bordure gu., Mauduit; L2. Crti. 3 waterbougets erm.,
Rooa of Derbyshire and Notts ; 13. Quarterly or and <iu. within a horduro
bezanty, Rochford; 14. Missing; 15, As the 1st. On the honour point
18 an annulet.
The person represented in this tabard was evidently a Fitz William, and
as the quarterings comprise those of Green of Drayton and Mauduit, he
must in all probability have been a descendant of Sir John Fitz William
who died in 1 118, by ESleanor, daughter of Sir Henry Green of Drayton,
by his wife Matilda, daughter and heir of Sir Thomas Mauduit. The
annulet is no doubt a mark of cadency, and may be assumed to have
indicated, at the date of this brass, a fifth sen ; and Beeing thai no male
adant of that Sir John Fitz William appears to have had five sons
within the period to which th'- brass can be referred, except John Fitz
William, of Sprotborough, who was living in 9th Henry VIIL, and Sir
William Fitz William of Gainspark, who died in 1534 ; the person repre-
sented was most likelj either Ralph, the fifth son of the former, <>r Thomas,
the fifth son of the latter. Of this Ralph little seem- known but that he
travelled into Spain, an event in those days sufficiently rare to he recorded.
Win n or where he died dees not appear, though, as he did not subscribe
die tion of Vouchers made by bis brother Hugh in L565 (See
Bridge's Collins, iv. pp. ."'7 it is probable he was not then
ither was a Damoryand an heiress, and if the brass repre-
sents him, we ma) Buppose the missing coat, No. 14, was Damory. Thomas,
the fifth Bon of Sir William Fitz William of Gainspark, was of Norborough,
Northamptonshire : when be died, or where he was buried, does not appear.
lie wom a balf-brother of Anne, wife of Sir Anthony Coke of Romford.
The quartered eu.it of her father, as impaled with her husband's on hia
temh, is given in Lysons' Environs of London, iv. pp. L93 1. The
rings differ materially from these. Thej compri e Lisures, Lacy,
Bertram, Clinton, Marmion, and Fitzhugh ; while Green, Mauduit, Rooa,
and Rochford are absent li might, then fen, lie supposed that these
i..- th.- arms of her brother, but the Pedigree in Bridge's
that the FitZ Williams were
titled to quartei Green and Mauduit; I'm-, though the male issue of
li.i 1 failed, they, who repn tented ■> i ter, were net the heir-,
a i.i ah. i of then ancostn v Sir Anthonv
• !:.•■ I in 1576, which would eem to be ■> lew yean later than this
TIM-: ARCHAEOLOGICAL IXSTITLTK.
83
brass; and probably in the meantime the error had heen discovered, and
the quartered coat recomposed. To the quarterings given hy Lysons, the
above-mentioned Ralph had as much right as Thomas or his father ; and
therefore the variation between them and these does not determine to
which of those two fifth sons the brass is to be appropriated. Neither
branch of the family appears to have had any right to the arms of the
ancient Earls of Chester. The only ground for their claiming them seems
to have been their descent from Albreda, daughter and heiress of Robert de
Lisures, who had been the widow of Richard Fitz Eustace, Constable of
Chester, and was half-sister of Robert de Lacy, Lord of Pontefract, who
died without issue, and was succeeded
by a half-brother of Albreda, that took
the name of de Lacy, and became con-
stable of Chester.
The Rev. F. Dyson described the re-
mains of a singular cruciform conduit
funned of stone and wood, found at the
Holy Well, Malvern Wells, dining
the construction of some new baths in
September last. A block of blue lias
rock, measuring about 22 in. by 18 in.,
formed the centre of four water-courses ;
three of these contributed streams of
very pure water, which flowed out through
the fourth in an easterly direction through
a trunk of oak. The channels for the
water measured 5 to 6 inches in dia-
meter. Some portions of the old stone covering had subsequently been
found. Mr. Dyson stated the supposition, that the cruciform fashion of
this conduit might have had some connexion with the name of the " Holy
Well."
9ntfgttitfe* ana" fflSHToriui af 3rt erfttbttrtr.
By Mr. Falkxer, of Deddington. — A bronze socketed celt, found at
Danes Hill, near Deddington, Oxfordshire. A bronze Roman lamp, with
two burners, described as found at King's Holme, near Gloucester, where
Roman remains have, at various times, been discovered. A bronze lamp
with a single burner, found there in 1790, a bronze patera, stilyard, and
several other reliques of the Roman period, are represented in the
Archfcologia, vol. x., p. 132. They were in the possession of Samuel
Lysons. A leaden coffin with various antiquities had been brought to
light there a few years before, and more recently an amphora and numerous
Roman coins were found.1
By Mr. Way. — Impressions from two British or Gaulish gold coins.
lately found in Surrey and Kent. One of them, now in the collection of
the Bon. R. Neville, had been picked up by a labourer engaged in " fag-
ging " oats, last harvest, in the West Field, at Ilathresham Farm in the
parish of Eorley, Dear Reigate. The soil is clayey, and the field had
1 Archseologia, vol. vii. pp. :i7''. 379 ;
vol. xviii. ]>. 1 '__. The place called Kings-
holme is situated on the Krmin Street,
and remains of buildings were to be seen
there supposed to he the site of a residence
of tin- kings of Mercia.
84
PROCEEDINGS AT MEETINGS OF
been ploughed rather deeper than in previous seasons. One side of this
coin is convex and plain ; on the other, which is in remarkable preservation,
appears the horse galloping to the left, with certain symbols in the
held. According to the observations whiqjp Mr. Way had received from
Mr. Evans, this Coin is of B very rare and unpublished type. It is singu-
lar in two respects, as having so well formed a horse, in conjunction with
the plain OT nearly plain obverse, and in having above the horse the
symbol of a hand clenched, and apparently holding a branch. A hand
below the horse, Mr. Evans Btated, is not uncommon on a class of Gaulish
coin- with the androcephalous horse, but he bad not met with the hand in
any position on a British coin. The class of cuius to which this belongs,
was. however, current and Btruck in both
countries. The weight is 83 grains. The
other gold coin had been recently picked
up by Mr. Worsfold of Dovor, on the sur-
face of ploughed land on a farm called
Stone Heap, in the parish of Northbrook,
north-west of Dovor. Mr. Worsfold had
sought in vain for any cairn or barrow
from which the name of tins farm might
have been derived ; he informed Mr. Way
that he intended to present the coin to the
Dovor museum, which has recently been
enriched by numerous local antiquities,
especially the collections formed by the
Rev. W. Vallance. This coin is of a type,
as Mr. Evans remarks, of ordinary occur-
rence both in Kent and elsewhere ; and
the only remarkable feature is an adjunct
under the horse, which appears to be in-
tended for a bird.
By Mr. c. Tucker.— A large bronze
Bpear-head, found with Beveral others in a
very decayed condition, at a spot called
"Bloody Tool,'' in the parish of South
Brent, Devonshire, on the verge of
ooor. The place is now a swampv
hollow, but no longer a pool, and no
record b is been found of .m\ conflict
which might explain the name assigned
to it. With the spears, whioh were acci-
dentally brought to lighl in digging, there
were four pieces oi broti q tube, which
maj bavebeen fixed on the lower extremi-
of ile- •baft-. Th( i ivets of
bronze bj which the spear-heads were
attached to the baft, remain pi rfect. The
length of the -pear head, n nearlj
could be a jcei tained, bad been I I inche .
the "Nile i breadth of the blade,
The length of the tulx iboul 7 inche : diameter, even-tenths,
laperiti tremity, which i- closed like the ferrule of a
■\"
t I
(
1
THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL INSTITUTE. 86
walking-cane. The spear-heads, with one exception, were barbed, and
bear resemblance to that found in the Severn, near Worcester, represented
in this Journal) vol. ii., p. 187, and supposed to have been a fishing-spear.
The blade in that example, now in the possession of Mr. Jabez Allies,
is shorter, and of greater breadth ; in both the socket is singularly short.
See Mr. Allies' Antiquities of Worcestershire, 2nd edit., p. 30. All the
spears found at Bloody Pool were broken into three pieces, and within
their blades is a sort of core, not metallic ; none appeared in the ferrules.
Mr. Franks observed that there had existed much uncertainty in regard
to the ancient use of rivets to affix bronze spear-heads to the shaft. No
example of a bronze rivet, as he believed, had previously been noticed ; he
had been disposed to think they were rarely, if ever, used, and that they
were formed of wood. Spear-heads of bronze are either formed with side-
loops, or apertures in the blade itself, supplying the means of attachment
to the shaft ; or where no adjustment of this kind is found, the socket is
perforated for a rivet, which would necessarily injure the strength of the
wooden shaft. Mr. Clibborn, who had carefully investigated this subject
in Ireland, where bronze spears occur in great variety, thought that the
rivets might have been of iron.
By Mr. G. V. Du Noyer. — Representations of the ancient cross and
effigy of St. Gobnet, an Irish saint who lived in the seventh century.
Amongst the remarkable early oratories of stone existing in the great
Island of Aran, in the Bay of Galway, as noticed by Dr. Petrie (Round
Towers of Ireland, p. 346) there is one of diminutive size assigned to this
saint. Near the old church of Ballyvourney, co. Cork, are the foundations
of her house, according to tradition, or more probably of her church ; this was
a circular building, of the bee-hive form, about 20 feet in diameter, and the
upright stones which formed the doorway are still standing. In the
Ordnance Survey the site is erroneously marked as the " Base of a round
tower." Within a few fields of Ballyvourney chapel stands " St. Gobnet 's
stone." (See woodcut.) On the S. face of this slab is engraved, in lines
now becoming faint, a cross pattee within a circle of two lines, measuring
13 \ inches in diameter, and on the top of the circle is an outline of a
human figure in profile, most rudely designed. A long cloak completely
envelopes the figure from the neck to the feet, and the hair appears to be
divided over the forehead and falls behind. In one hand is represented a
short pastoral crook or cambatta, which seems to be of that peculiar Irish
form, of which examples in bronze are preserved in the Museum of the Royal
Irish Academy. Mr. Du Noyer regards this little figure as representing
St. Gobnet herself, and thinks, from the form of the pastoral stall', that tlie
slab may be contemporaneous with her times. Mr. Westwood expressed
his opinion, that its date is not later than the eighth, and possibly as early
as the seventh century. The effigy of St. Gobnet, who was believed to be
descended from Conor the Great, King of Ireland, is of oak, measuring 27
inches in length, and G inches across the breast, and it is preserved in the
Roman Catholic chapel at Ballyvourney. This little image is regarded by
the country people with peculiar veneration ; it is exhibited on the altar, on
her feast day, and scarcely on any other occasion. It was originally painted
in oil colour, the mantle being dark blue, the skirt of the robe below the
girdle deep crimson, the upper part of the figure and the amis pale yellow,
which may have been white now discoloured by time. Over the head is
thrown a veil or coverebief, the left hand is raised and laid flat on the
86
PROCEEDINGS AT MEETINGS OP
bosom, whilst the right falls straight at the Bide and grasps the mantle.
Such wooden effigies, Mr. Du Noyer observed, are veryrare in Ireland : he
supposed the date of this figure to be the middle of the XlVth century.
i
Bv Mr. Farrer.- An antique tripod candelabrum, and o tazza, both "I
bronze, from Italy. An ivory cup loulptured with subjects From tlio history
• ■I Noah, and Bel with jewels ; apposed to be o work of the \ I tli or Xllth
contui ure <»l St. John the oulpturod in ivory ; heighl
tuple of JCIVth centun art, from Flanders. A small
shrine, in form of ■■! miniature chapel with a high ridged roof, encased in
silver plate with repou < ornament ; on the fronl are throe figure . the
central one in pontificals with ;i cro ior in the left hand : on either side is
THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL INSTITUTE. 87
a figure in armour. Date, about 1470. — A steel hunting-horn, elaborately
chased with foliage in strong relief, and a steel guard of a sword, chased
with chivalrous subjects. — A silver medallion, representing William, Duke
of Saxony, 1586, represented on horseback, with a display of heraldic
escutcheons surrounding the figure.
By Mr. Nesbitt. — Casts from several carvings in ivory of mediaeval
Greek or Byzantine style. The most remarkable of these measures 9f in.
by 6| ; it formerly was a part of the richly-decorated cover of a MS.
belonging to the Cathedral of Besancon ; and an engraving of it in this
state will be found in Gori (Thesaurus Veterum Diptychorum) ; it is now
preserved in the Cabinet des Antiques of the Bibliotheque Impcriale at
Paris. From its form it would seem probable that it was originally the
central piece of a triptych. The figures sculptured upon it are about 6 in.
in height, and represent Christ standing upon an elevated pedestal of three
stages, two circular and one square, and placing his hands upon the heads
of an emperor and empress, the former of whom stands on his right,
and the latter on his left. On one side of the head of Christ are the
letters IC, and on the other XC ; over the emperor the inscription
PflMANOC BACIA€VC PHMAiniM, and over the empress,
€VAOKIA BACIAIC PnMAIHN. The persons represented are
therefore Romanus Diogenes, Emperor of the East from 10G7 to 1071, and
his wife Eudocia, widow of Constantine Ducas.
As in consequence of the unvarying character of Byzantine art there is
great difficulty in assigning to their proper period the examples which
occur, one of the date of which as in thi3 case, there can be no doubt, is of
peculiar interest and importance, and it may be desirable to notice in some
detail the costume of the several figures, and the distinctive peculiarities of
the style of the sculpture.
The figure of Christ is attired in a loose tunic with large sleeves, over
which is worn a piece of drapery ( ? a toga) a part of which is fastened
round the body, while another part is thrown over the left shoulder, and
hangs down over the left arm. The feet have no shoes but only sandals.
A nimbus with three rays surrounds the head.
The costume of Romanus consists of — 1. An inner garment with embroi-
dered sleeves fitting somewhat tightly to the arm. 2. A robe reaching
to the feet, with loose sleeves, and embroidered on the shoulders, at the
bottom, and the sides (the dalmatic ?). 3. A broad strip of rich embroidery
hanging down before and behind (the head being passed through an aperture),
the end brought round in front from the right side across the body, and
carried over the left arm (the Pallium Imperatorium ?). The empress has
garments of precisely the same fashion as the two first of the emperor, but
the outer garment is a cloak fastened over the right shoulder and held up
by the left arm, this cloak is entirely covered with embroidery, and on the
breast is a large patch also of embroidery, but of a different pattern. This
is clearly the same decoration as that which in the mosaics of S. Vitale in
Ravenna is seen in gold on the purple robe of the Emperor Justinian, and
in purple on the white robes of his attendants. It is also to be observed
on the robes of consular figures on diptychs, as on that of Halbcrstadt, and
may possibly be the representative of the latus clavis.
The crowns worn by the emperor and empress are very nearly alike, a
broad fillet with a quatre-foil ornament in front ; on that of Eudocia there
seem to have been ornaments at the sides as well as in front. The fillet
PROCEEDINGS AT MEETINGS OF
appears to enclose a cap, and long pendant-; hang on each side. The feet-
's by embroidered shoes. Plain nimbi surround the heads. The
right hand of the emperor and the left of the empress are placed on their
hearts, probably as a sign of devotion. In the Hotel de Cluny is a Byzantine
lief in ivory, the design of which resembles most closely that of the
Bubject of this notice. Christ places his hands on the heads of the Emperor
Otho II. and hi- wife Theophano, daughter of Etomanus III.. Emperor of
the Bast. This lias been supposed to he commemorative of the marriage
of these personages, A.-.D. 972, hut M. Lenormant, in the notice which
panies tin; engraving of the bas-relief of Romanus in tin- last vol. of
the Tresor de Numismatique et de Giyptique, inclines to the opinion, that
on this last the coronation of Komanus and Eudocia is commemorated.
The figures in this instance are unnaturally long and very stiff' in
attitude ; the faces are lung and meagre, and wanting in expression,
although as well as the hands, naturally modelled. The feet of the
emperor and empress are absurdly small, those of Christ natural. The
draperies of the figure of Christ are arranged with some elegance, though
with a tendency to long straight folds ; those of the imperial figures have
almost the >ti,l'ue.-s and straightncss of hoards, they are almost covered by
a conventional representation of embroider? or jewel-work. On the whole,
however, this bas-relief shows a state of the art of sculpture far superior to
any contemporary work in the west of Europe.
Another of the casts exhibited, the original of which is believed to exist
in a private collection in Paris, would appear to be of Byzantine work, but
of a much earlier date, probably anterior to the period of the [conoclasts.
Ppon it Christ is represented as a young beardless man, the face is pecu-
liarly full, and the figure rather short in its proportions, it has, however,
little trace of antique art. Over the figure is an arch, in the spandrels
of which are peacocks.
Twenty-four other casts were from a twelve-sided box, preserved in the
treasury "t the Cathedral of Sens, twelve being from the sides and twelve
from tin cover which slopes on every side and meets in a point at the top.
A band of enamelled copper, apparently Limoges work, of aboul 1300, is
fixed round the bottom of the lid. The bos has evidently been taken to
pieces and reconstructed. The date of the ivory bas-reliefs may he placed
with Bome probability in the Xlth or Xllth centuries. The subjects are
chiefly from the histories of Joseph and of David. The figures have a fair
of life and movement, and some half-figures of angels, in the upper
if the pieces belonging to the cover, some grace and beauty ; the
it not very finished or careful. The whole have been
engraved ami noticed in Millin' Voyti e dan- lea Departements da Midi
de hi Prance.
By the Rev. T. IP so. The central portion of an ivory triptych repre-
senting the Virgin with the infant Saviour in the upper compartment, and
below if the Crucifixion, with the Virgin and Si . John; date, X I Vth century.
It wa- found in Saydon square in the Uinories, September, 1853.
dr. Hewitt.— A specimen of the •• New pattern Artillery helmet,"
for an officer, a recently proposed. It is formed of felt with a knob for a
plume on the crown of the head, from which diverge four bands of gilt
forming a framework resembling the supposed load piece found at
Leckhampton, exhibited by Captain Pell at the previous meeting (Journal,
vol. \i. p. 413). Mi. Hewitt pointed out the remarkable analogy of form
THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL INSTITUTE. 89
ami construction, which appears to corroborate the belief that the relique
found in Gloucestersliire had been part of a defence, for the head, and
offered some remarks, on examples of helmets in later times with a ring
on the apex, probably for the attachment of the cointise ; especially that
supplied by the sculptured effigies of Sir William de Staunton, who died
132G (Stothard's Monumental Effigies, p. 47).
By Mr. Octavius Morgan, M.P. — A leaden disk, diameter 2\ inches,
charged with a lion rampant ; it was found during recent repairs of St.
Wollos' Church, Newport, Monmouthshire. — A singular object of brass,
purchased at Nuremberg, apparently a kind of seolipile intended to be used
with a small lamp for fumigation, or diffusing scent in an apartment ; it is
a curious example of the ingenuity and caprice of the old German workers
in metal.
By Mr. Fitch. — An enamelled ornament of copper, bearing general
resemblance to a six-petaled flower ; it was found at Southacre, Norfolk.
It is formed with a small loop on one side, in the same manner as certain
enamelled escutcheons, of which several examples have been given in this
Journal, and like these, it was probably a pendant decoration attached to
horse-furniture. The object recently added to Mr. Fitch's cabinet of Norfolk
antiquities, is, however, of a fashion hitherto not noticed ; a six-leaved
ornament is introduced on a blue ground in the centre, and thence radiate
six projections, each charged with a quatrefoil filled with blue enamel.
Diameter about 2\ inches. Date, probably XVIth century.
By Mr. W. J. Berxhard Smith. — A richly-engraved wheel-lock of steel,
of most elaborate workmanship. Amongst the ornaments is conspicuously
introduced the double-headed eagle of the Empire.
Impressions from Seals. — By the Hon. R. C. Neville.— Impression
from a small brass matrix, of pointed-oval form, found in front of the
V Brick House," at Debden, Essex, on October 16, ult. The device is a
tonsured head, seen in profile, and over it is a mullet. The inscription is
as follows — capvt SERVl uei.2 Date, XlVth century.
January 5, 1855.
Frederic Odvry, Esq., Treas. Soc. Aniiqu., in the Chair.
Mr. E. W. Godwin sent an account of the recent excavation of an exten-
sive Roman villa at Colerne, about six miles from Bath, and exhibited a
ground-plan, with representations of the mosaic floors which have been
uncovered through the exertions of the Rev. G. Heathcote, Vicar of Colerne,
and under Mr. Godwin's directions. His memoir will be given hereafter.
It is to be regretted that the owner of the site is not disposed to preserve
these remains, in which he takes no interest, and the building will probably
ere long be again concealed from view.
Mr. Greville J. Chester communicated a note of bis recent examina-
tion of a tumulus on Pen Hill, one of the highest parts of the Mendip range.
The mound was curiously constructed. The outside was completely covered
with large pieces of red sandstone, beneath which there was fine earth. In
the centre were two layers of stones, between which appeared a large
deposit of charred wood and wood-ashes, but no traces of bones were to be
- This inscription lias occurred on on the fictitious matrix of stone, noticed
other mediaeval seals. It was introduced in this Journal, vol. x., p. <'<:;.
VOL. XII. K
90 PROCEEDINGS AT MEETINGS.
discerned. MoBt of the barrows in the neighbourhood, Mr. Chester oh-
served, bad been opened several years ago : in some of them urns had been
found, and, in one instance, weapons of flint.
The Rev. 11. M. Si \kiii communicated an account of Roman remains
found during the previous montb at Combe Down, near Bath, and of a
remarkable inscription of which he Bent representations, On Dec, 11, in the
ationsina garden belonging to Major Graham, the workmen
found two stone coffins, placed north and south, the feet being towards the
south. They measured externally about 6 feet 8 inches by 1 foot 3 inches,
the length <>t' the cavity being about 6 feet -"> inches, and the ends of the
coffins were rounded, as noticed in other Roman interments at Bath. The
cover of one of these coffins was unite plain : within were found some very
bones, the thigh bone measured 18 inches in length, and -1 inches in
girth : a jaw bone of unusual size was also found, with the teeth in good
preservation, and Beveral fragments of iron, supposed to have been the
nails of Roman sandals. The other coffin had its covering formed of four
Btones, one of them being an inscribed tablet, taken doubtless from some
Roman structure and applied to the purpose here described. This stone,
which measures about 2 feet 7 inches by 18 inches, covered the breast and
body of the corpse. There were three skeletons without skulls deposited
outside this coffin on the east side of it, and within itwas found a skeleton
with a perfect scull and jaw, the latter discoloured by a small bronze coin,
now nearly decomposed, which had probably been placed in the mouth as a
naulum for the transit over the Styx. At the feet lay three bcuIIs, sup-
posed to have belonged to the bodies, of which the headless remains were
found outside the coffin. The position of these coffins is 17 feet to the
north of the three interments found in the same plol of ground lasl Bpring,
er with the stone cists containing burned bones and the head of a
horse, ribed by Mr. Scarth in this Journal, vol, si., pp. 281, 40&
dderable quantity of coarse unbaked pottery and a few fragments of
'• Samian " ware were found around the coffins. The tablet brought to
ingular position has been regarded by antiquaries, who take
interest in the vestiges of the Roman period, as a valuable addition to the
inscriptions which relate to Britain. Some portions of it- surface have
Buffered injury, and various interpretations have been proposed, no slight
difficulty having arisen in deciphering an inscription in damaged condition,
by the aid of facsimiles and impressions taken with moistened paper, which
upplied by the kindness of Mr. Scarth, A discussion took place on
the i »n, in which the Rev. Jo eph Hunter, l>r. Bruce,
Mr. Pranks, and other members took pi rt.
A 'e accurate representation having keen subsequently obtained, we
have been favoured with the following observations by the Rev. Joseph
1 1 untir : —
" The copy of the Bath inscription (as shown in the woodcut) differs in
.in the copy originally sent from Bath to the
to, and in a private communication to m\ elf; so thai any attempt
the one mill needs differ from an attempt upon the other.
oce i in the ub titution of -\\ a lid for \.c lib
where th< < and the R were bo decided in the (in t oopj b - uol to leave room
oi amended n ac1
•• I think with you thai we have now ol the in cription a correct])
docipl and, with the exception of i ae word, I think
92 PROCEEDINGS AT MEETINGS OF
the reading and moaning may be as well made out. I do not at all think if
1 saw the original I should fi rm a different judgment.
PRO SALVTE MPERATORIS CAESARIS MARC I AYRELII
ANTONIHI I'll FELICIS tNYIC
TI AYGVSTI . . . HAEVIVS LVGVST]
LIBERTVS LDJVTOB PROCVRATORVAI PB tM
PIA KVI\\ OPPRESSVW \ SOLO I
TIT VI l'
" For the safety. — or whatever salus in this connection, where we for ever
find it, may mean, — of the Emperor Csesar .Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Pius,
happy, invincible (or unconquered) Augustus (supply a prenomen where the
is damaged, probably one represented by two letters, as cn) Nsevius,
a freedman of Augustus the adjutor of the procurators, (then cornea the
doubtful word, which perhaps may he PROVINCIE,) restored from its founda-
tions (this building, temple, or whatever it was, for the edifice was there
to speak for itself), when it had been thrown down by an impious act of
ruination.
•• Another reading of the doubtful word may be PRIMARIVS, and I think
some one suggested PRETORIVM. 1 fear the word is too far gone for any
one tu venture to pronounce conclusively what the reading of it is.
•• A question arising upon this inscription is, which of the emperors,
who called themselves Antoninus, it commemorates. It is a question of
about fifty years \.< . 180 — 230. On a first view one would refer it to
Marcus Aurelius, the immediate successor of Antoninus Pius, the first of
the Antonines, and I see not why it should not belong to his reign, unless
i lie shown (a point 1 have not examined) that his name is never found
in inscriptions with the additions Felix and [nvictus. If it shall appear
that his name dor- not occur with these additions, then undoubtedly it may
signed to the three years' reign of Eeliogabalus, or to any intermediate
emperor who called himself Antoninus, and who is known to have used
those additions. But at present 1 see no improbability in assigning it to
the emperor so well known by bis name of Marcus Aurelius.
•■ There cannot, I conceive, be a doubt that there had been some tumult
at Bath, whether a religious or a political ferment we should probably know
bad not the edifice been left to -peak For itself. An edifice of some kind had
been destroyed which this public officer of the Btate restored. I should he
glad to think that it was a temple or other building raised for purposes of
heathen devotion, and that the discovery made known to us by Mr. S earth
might Bupply the occasion of bringing any Roman inscription to bear
upon that very dark Bubject, the Btate of Britain in the Roman times in
re peel to the prevalence of Christianity. <>n this it would be premature
r more than a possible iUggG tioD ; but the conjecture receives wiinc
countenance from the fact, thai another of the Bath inscriptions, of very near
the date to which this nni i be assigned, records the restoration to its
proper u a of a ' Locum Religiosum per insolentiam erutum.' Professor
. who wrote a Dissertation on thi^ inscription, printed in the Philoso-
ctions, vol. \l\iib, •"■ d it to the reign ofSeverus.
•• NflBviufl the Adjutor, a Roman officer, to whose duties sufficient atten
t '.ii eem bardly to have been paid bj the writers on Roman Antiquities,
■ em to have been the proper officer to uperintend this re edification.
I bolievo, is not found in any other inscription discovered in
THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL INSTITUTE. 93
England. But in Gruter, civ., no. 9, we have — P. Naevius, Adjutor, in an
inscription found at Tarracona. We find also, in Gruter, ccclxxi., no. 8,
Adjutore Procc. Civitatis Senonum Tricassinorum Meldorum, &c, which
shows that the Adjutor to the Procurators is not an officer unknown to
inscriptions."
We are also indehted to the learned historian of the Roman Wall for
the following remarks : —
" I have carefully examined the corrected copy of the Bath inscription.
In transmitting my views of the way in which it is to be read I beg
that they may be regarded simply as a contribution towards ascertaining
truth. In the case of inscriptions that are damaged or obscure it is
always dangerous to pronounce an opinion without having submitted each
letter to the examination of both sight and touch, which I have not had
it in my power to do. As far as my present knowledge goes, I am dis-
posed to expand the inscription thus : —
Pro salute Imperatoris Csesaris Marci Aurelii Antonini Pii Felicis
Invicti Augusti . . . Nsevius Augusti libertus adjutor Procuratorum
principia ruina oppressa a solo restituit.
" It may be translated in something like this form: — For the safety
of the Emperor Caesar Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, the pious, fortunate and
invincible Augustus. . . Xtevius, the freedman of Augustus and the assistant
of the Procurators restored these chief military quarters, which had
fallen to ruin.
" The first question that arises here is respecting the emperor specially
addressed. I find that the names and epithets used in this inscription
are in others applied both to Caracalla and Heliogabalus, with the exception
of the word invictus ; and in no other instance that I can find is this
applied to either of these emperors. I incline to Mr. Franks' opinion, that
Heliogabalus is the person here intended, for the following reasons : —
1. On the murder of Heliogabalus his name seems to have been erased from
inscriptions, or the slabs themselves thrown down. This stone having been
used to cover a tomb must have previously been removed from its original
position. 2. From the indistinctness of some of the letters, I take it for
granted that the inscription is not deeply carved ; this, together with the
omission of the A in Caisaris, and the occurrence of tied letters, seem to
indicate the later, rather than the earlier period. 3. Had Caracalla been
the person intended, one of his well-known epithets, such as Parthicus,
Britannicus, or Germanicus, would probably have occupied the place of
invictus; so far as I have noticed, Heliogabalus had earned no such dis-
tinctions : his flatterers therefore, on his assuming the purple, would have
no resource left but to bestow upon him the indefinite title of invictus.
" The next thing which occurs is the name of the dedicator. Mr.
Hunter remarked that the name naevivs occurred in Gruter. It is not
without interest to observe, that one of the examples furnished by that
author (p. civ., no. 9) contains that name with the epithet adjutor
appended.
TVTELAK
V. S.
r. NAEVIVS
ADIVTOR.
" The Nsevius of the slab tumid at Bath was a freedman of Augustus, and
'.'I PRO< BEDINGS AT MEETINGS OF
an assistant or secretary of the procurators of the province. We are not
without an authority For the reading Adjvtor Pfocuratorum. In Gruter,
p. CCClxxi., no. 8, the following occurs :
MEMORIAE . AVREU
DEMETRI . ADIVTuKI
PROCC
With reference to the office of procurator, Dr. William Smith, in his
Dictionary of Antiquities, art, Provincia, has tliis remark: — 'No
quaestors w< re Bent to the provinces of the Caesar. In place of the quaes*
tors, there were Procuratores Ccesaris, who were either equites or freed-
men of the Caesar. The procuratores Looked after the taxes, paid the
troops, and generally were entrusted with the interests of the tiscus.'
The individual in question was a freedman of the emperor's, and though
at the time that the dedication was made he was only an assistant to the
procurators, he might he in training for the personal assumption of the
•• The woid which I conceive to he prindpia presents the greatest diffi-
culty. It appears that the stone is damaged in this part. We are neces-
sarily driven to conjecture in order to supply the vacuity hetween the N
and the i at the end of the fourth line. The inscription speaks of the
restoration of something which had become ruinous. If I correctly read
the other parts of the inscription which seem to he quite plain, this is the
only word left to reveal to US the precise object of the dedicator's exertions.
In the Btation at Lanchester, a Blab has been foimd (Horsley, Durham,
No. .\ii.j, containing on its third and fourth Lines the folio win.;' words : —
PRINCTPIA ET ARMAMEN
TARIA C0NLAP8A EU >lli\ IT
Here we have evidence that there was a class of buildings called prindpia
which like other buildings would fall into ruin and require restoration.
This word seems best to Buit the damaged part of the inscription before
The only letters that we require to draw upon the imagination for are
the first i i" the word, which has probably been attached to the top of the
left limh of the n. and the o, for which there is sufficient room on that
injured part of the atone between the n and the i. Perhaps the word
prindpia might be translated officers' barracks. The remainder of the
inscription requires no remai h
We are indebted to Mr. Scarth's kindness for the friendly permission to
at, with these remarks by Mr. Hunter and Dr. Bruce, the accompanying
representation of ihi> inscription, previously to the publication of a memoir
on the Bubject, which Mr. Scarth has prepared for the forthcoming volume
of the Transaction of the Somersetshire Archaeological Society. We
refei our readei to the more lull statement which will there be
of the various interpretations offered bj other antiquaries. The
I tone, it 1 1 1 : i \ be observed in conclusion, was purchased by Mr,
bortlj alter the discovery, and pre ented to the Batb Institution,
where it maj now be examined, through the liberality of thai zealou and
intelligent investigator of the remain of Aqua Holis,
Mr. Poyntek offered some observations on the early Christian
which decorate the vault of the mo qui of Sta. Sophia at Constantinople.
lie pi., dm • d of the brilliant vitrified materials employed in
THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL INSTITUTE. 95
these works, comprising ml, green, two shades of blue, gray, amber-
coloured tesserae, and tessera) enclosing a thin foil of gold or silver ; the
silver, which is remarkably brilliant in effect, being, as it is believed,
peculiar to these mosaics. These specimens had been given to Mr.
Poynterby a member of the diplomatic body at Constantinople ; they had
fallen and been thrown aside during the recent repairs of Sta. Sophia.
They had apparently been originally set in a layer of fine plaster.
Mr. DlGBT WYATT gave an account of the peculiar character of the
mosaics of Sta. Sophia, with remarks on the distinctive peculiarities of
Roman and Greek mosaics. He brought for examination the work recently
produced by the Prussian Government, illustrating the Christian monu-
ments of Constantinople, from the Vth to the Xllth century.1 For the
opportunity of inspecting this splendid volume, the members of our
Society were indebted to the Institute of British Architects, from whose
library it was brought, and Mr. Wyatt also laid before the meeting, through
the kindness of Professor Donaldson, the publication entitled, " Aya
Sophia, «fcc, as recently restored by order of H.M. the Sultan Abdul
Medjid ; " from the drawings of the Chev. Gaspard Fossati, the Architect
employed during the works carried out in 1847-48.2 The first church
•dedicated by Constantine or Constantius, 326-360, was destroyed by fire
in the Vlth century, and rebuilt by Justinian ; it was completed in 537,
every care being taken in its construction and decoration to obviate the risk
of injury from any like disaster, and it has been preserved to the present
time notwithstanding the frequent conflagrations that have occurred at
Constantinople. In 1453, Mahommed II. destroyed all the arrangements
adapted to Christian worship, and the golden mosaics of the vaultings
were concealed by whitewash. They had been brought to light anew for
the first time during recent restorations under the direction of the Chev.
Fossati, and it has been related that on one occasion the Sultan being
present when a portion of these gorgeous decorations, consisting of figures
of sacred personages and Christian emblems, was revealed to view, he
remarked in French to the architect, " you must cover over all this, the
time is not yet arrived."
The gold-ground mosaic, Mr. Wyatt observed, was an old Roman art,
of which numerous examples exist at Pompeii. This was the opusfigu~
linum, as distinguished from the lithostratum, or mosaic formed of stones
and opaque materials. Until about the year 500, almost all the churches
in Italy were decorated by the Roman artists in mosaic, and after that
time by Greek artists : the principal example of the early time being
procured at Sta. Maria Maggiore, executed in 432. The vaultings at Con-
stantinople may be regarded as the first great type now existing of Greek
mosaic. Mr. Wyatt offered some valuable remarks on their technical exe-
cution, and the characteristic peculiarities of the Greek work as compared
with the Latin. He has subsequently entered into greater detail on this
interesting subject in a memoir addressed to the Institute of British Archi-
1 Alt-ChristHcheBaudenkmalevon Con .Mr. C. Nelson, lion. Sec, on Feb. 5, 1855,
stantinopel vom v. bis xii. Jahrhundert, and it 1ms been printed in their transact
&c. By W. Salzenberg, Berlin, 1854. tions.
Large folio, with 39 plates. A full notice 2 Lithographed by Louis Haghe, London,
of this important work was communicated 1852, Folio.
to the Institute of British Architects, by
PROCEEDINGS AT MEETINGS OF
and we would refer our readers to the report which has been pub-
lished in their Transactions.
Mr. Wyatt also state.! the grounds of bis belief that the windows of Sta.
Sophia, which are formed of marble slabs pierced in small apertures, had
1 d filled with coloured glass, probably with plates of the same brilliantly
coloured material employed, when broken into cubes, in the execution of
the mosaics. The assertion of the Benedictines, that coloured glass was
not known previously to the time of Charlemagne, had been generally received
as correct until recent times, hut allusion to its existence as early as
IT 600 had been found, and the details now made known regarding
Sta. Sophia suggest the conclusion that it had been in use in the earlier
part of the YIth century. Theophilus and other writers allude to the rich
effect of light coloured by transmission as shown in the Church of Sta. Sophia.
Mr. WesTWOOD communicated an account which he had received from
Dr. Shurlook, of Chertsey, describing the remains of a richly decorated
pavement lately found on the site of Chertsey Abbey. He produced a
collection of drawings of the tiles which display subjects from the Old
Testament, I 'avid slaving the Lion, David in the presence of Saul, a spirited
representation of the conflict between a knight and a lion, and other designs
Bhowing greater freedom and skill in their outlines than any similar works
of their date, which appears to he about the close of the X III th centurv.
Mr. Westwood produced some portions of this pavement, and a fragment of
I lit, as supposed, of well-baked clay, found at Chertsey Abbey. A
perfect specimen, since found, weighs precisely I 'lb.
nnttriuilirs anU »LUorh<J af 3rt eyljibttrtl.
By lie Cambridge Ahtiquariami Society. — Several fragments of bronze,
comprising pari of b palstave, a tube of metal, and a broken object of rare
occurrence, probably intended to he affixed to the end of some long-bafted
weapon. In form it resembles the mouth-piece of a trumpet, and a similar
relique found with Roman remains in Scotland, and described 1>V Cordon
as 111 the possession of Baron Clark, is termed a Roman trumpet.' The
dilated extremity, however, is nut perforated so as to serve the purpose of a
mouth-piece. These fragments, apparently part of a h -d of broken
metal tor purposes of casting, were found, as it ib believed, in Cambridge-
shire, and had h>en acquired with the collections of the late Mi-. Peek.
I Saxon ornament-, beads, object- of bronze, &c, from the cemetery
at Wilbraham, including an example of the pendants of bronze, hearing
-ome resemblance in their form to latch-ke] -, and of which several remark*
able t been given by the lion. I;. Neville, From tin' same locality
Obsequi* . plat* 13, 1 I !• A richly ornamented brooch of gilt
mi jewels. [( ented IV Irawings by Sir II. Dry den,
Bart., in tie Memoir on Roman and other remains found in Bedfordshire
(Publications of the Camb. Antiq, Soc, tto. L845). It was found with
human remains at Topler's Hill, near Ed worth, Bedfordshire.
I Mr. Pranks. Several In h antiquities of bronze, from the collection
of tie- late Mr. T. Crofton Croker, including two curved trumpets, of the
type peculiar, a n i believed, to Ireland ; they are specially deserving
eh i found with bronze word and cell . indicating thai
1 1 inenrium Sept nl rionali ,p 117, plfl '
THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL INSTITUTE. 97
they belong to the same period as those earlier antiquities of bronze. — A
large celt with engraved ornament, chiefly in chovrony lines over nearly the
whole surface ; an implement of uncommon form, probably a kind of chisel,
with a cross bar (compare the last fig. in no 3, Wakeman's Handbook of
Irish Antiquities, p. 153) - and a singular blunt socketed implement of
unknown use ; it was presented by Lord Londesborough to Mr. Croker.
These antiquities have subsequently been added to the collections in the
British Museum. Mr. Franks brought also for examination the silver ingots
and broken ornaments found with a large hoard of Roman silver coins near
Coleraine, as related by Mr. Yates on a previous occasion (Archaeol.
Journal, vol. xi. pp. 283, 409). The entire weight of the bullion with the
coins, of which many are in bad condition, is more than 200 ounces. The
metal is not of very pure quality. This discovery, of which a full account with
a description of the coins has been given by Mr. Scott Porter in the Ulster
Journal of Archaeology, vol. ii., p. 182, presents the most remarkable
fact on record of the occurrence of Roman reliques in Ireland.3 Mr. Franks
pointed out three fragments amongst the hoard, the ornamentation of
which presents no trace of Roman work. Their character is, however, not
distinctly marked ; some persons have regarded the ornament as analogous
to that of the Saxon age, but these portions are probably of Irish work,
and one fragment appears undoubtedly Irish. It is partly inlaid with a
kind of metallic paste like niello.
By the Rev. P. C. Ellis. — A square enamelled plate of copper, of
champleve work, representing a demi-figure of our Lord, with the right
hand upraised in the gesture of benediction, and holding a clasped book in
the left. Around the head is a cross-nimb, and the prevailing colours are
blue, red and white. The plate, now in a very imperfect and decayed
state by the effects of oxidation, measures nearly 2\ inches in each
direction ; it had been affixed by four rivets, probably to a processional
cross, the binding of a Textus, the side of a shrine, or some other object of
sacred use. This relique of the art of enamel in the Xlllth century, of
which scarcely any example has been described as found in the Principality,
had been discovered during recent restorations of the church of Penmon
Priory, Anglesea, near the old stone altar of rubble work plastered over,
which was concealed under the floor upon which the communion-table had
been placed. A detailed account of the church and of this discovery, with
a representation of the enamelled plate, has been given by Mr. Longueville
Jones, in his Series of Memoirs, entitled — '' Mona Mediaiva," in the
Archteologia Cambrensis, Jan. 1855. Third Series. No. i. p. 41.
By Mr. A. Nesbitt. — Electrotypes of heads of statuettes on the base of
the " Albero della Madonna," in Milan Cathedral, a candelabrum with
seven branches, of remarkable workmanship, considered by Mr. Didron to
be a production of the XII Ith century. See his description and the plates
given in the Annales Archeologiques. — Casts from the three diptychs of
ivory preserved in the treasury of the Cathedral of Monza, in Lombardy.
By Mr. Edward IIoare. — Representation of a bronze weight in the
- Compare one similar in some respects, 3 See notices of discoveries of Roman
in the collection of the Royal Irish Coins, &c, in Ireland, Proceedings of the
Academy, figured in this Journal, vol. Royal Irish Academy, vol. ii., p. 184:
viii., p. 91 ; and one figured in Mr. Bate- Ulster Journal of Archaeology, vol. ii.,
man's Vestiges of the Antiquities of p. 187.
Derbyshire; Introd. p. ii.
Vol.. XII. 0
9d PROCEEDINGS &.T MEETINGS.
form of a bird like a duck on an hexagonal pedestal, grotesquely fashioned'.
It was described as having been dug np, in August last, on the lands of
Granabraher, a mile N.W. of the city of Cork, and it is now in Mr. fioare'a
collection. Weight, 2 oz. 12 dwt. Bronze weights of similar fashion
have 1 n brought to this country from the Burmese Empire.
By Mr. C. Desbobough Bbdfobd. — A certificate of legitimacy granted
Bruin by the Consuls and Senate of Cologne, dated March
1 v. 1661. It Btates that he had made declaration of the legitimacy of his
birth, and had called in evidence thereof two citizens of Cologne. The
seal ad causcu had accordingly been appended to the certificate. The
, of this Beal, which is of circular form, appears to be of the latter
part of the JLVth century. St. Peter bearing the keys and a hook of the
gospels, i- represented under a canopy of tabernacle-work ; beneath are
embattled walls and a gate, typifying the city ; at each side is introduced
an ( scutcheon of the arms of Cologne, on a chief three crowns. — S.
i l\ II Mis. COLONIE NSIS . AH . C w 8AS.
Impressions of Seals. — By Mr. T. Willson. — Seal of the Hundred of
Flaxwell, Lincolnshire, for authenticating passes given to labourers and
servants, in accordance with Stat. 1'2 Rich. II., A..D. 1388. The matrix
has been lately found at Fishtoft near Boston. (Sec Archaeol. Journal,
Vol. \i.. p. 379.)
By Mr. J. GrREVILLE CHE8TER. — Impressions from the seal of the city of
Well8. On the obverse appears an architectural composition, intended
probably to represent the city, with a demi-figure of the Saviour above,
en the sun and the oioon, and at the extreme hase are three arches,
which - < :n tu typify the wells from which the city was named. The
inscription i- as follows, — bigillvm : commvne : bvrgi : wkli.ii: : termina-
ting with a star within a crescent. The reverse displays a tree with
intertwining limbs and large foliage, supposed, as Mr. Chester observes,
tu represent an ash. Prom beneath its roots issues a copious stream in
which is Been a pike seized by an heron or a Stork, and other lords fly
around or are perched on the tree.4 The inscription is — i{i \\i>ki:a :
famvli rvoB, with the crescent and star as before. The
eeal is circular, diameter nearly 2\ inches. The design is boldly cut,
and the date appears to he aboul 1250. The device on the reverse doubts
the remarkable Bpring Known as St. Andrew's Well, or
- Well, which rises near the I'alace, emitting a Btream sufficing
to surround that structure with it- water-. The church of Wells from
earliest time- appear- tu have been dedicated tu St. Andrew ; the city
divided into two parts, the Liberty of St. Andrew, in which Btand
the Cathedral, Bi hop's Palace, Deanery, Ac, and the town or borough. —
Se.d of Donald 0 . on of I aid Roe Mac Carthy, prince of Desmond,
• .1 in L389. Ii i of a circular form ; within an eight-foiled compart*
ment Qted a mounted figure, bearings jword : there is no indica-
ol armour, and the bead appears t'> be bare * b1 : dovenaldi :
og : i ii. i : n : khui ua< \i;ini'. The matrix was in the possession of Dr.
Petrie, a- described l»y him, Proceedinj "i the Royal Irish Academy,
Vol. i., p.
1 'ill'- arms uf the Citj "i vVelle are rated in the reign of Richard I.: the
■I vert, a tree charter wu firmed by John, 1200, who
■ from ill'- fa e lino, in be i nude the oity :> free borough, I rom
i i • • i . ined. Thi I , w< I m< mi" i - to
I ■ n i.i i [ncoi | ■'• I '.iili.nii'-iit.
Notices of Srcfjacologt'cnl publications.
SUSSEX ARCHAEOLOGICAL COLLECTIONS, relating to the History and Anti-
quities of the County. Published by the Sussex Archaeological Society. Vol. VII.
London : John Russell Smith. 1854. 8vo.
Among the recent additions to archaeological literature, we have the
gratification of noticing another volume of these Collections, in which
the Society continue to maintain the reputation which they early achieved.
It is pleasant to observe no signs of any diminution of zeal or interest
in regard to their county history and antiquities. The list of sub-
scribers, as well as the number and variety of the articles, must be encou-
raging to those by whose exertions the Society was formed.
Mr. W. D. Cooper has contributed a paper on the retention of British
and Saxon names in Sussex. He contends that the Danes never esta-
blished themselves in the county, and points out how very numerous are
the names of places there, which are of Anglo-Saxon origin, and that a
few would even seem to have been derived from the British. He also
notices the large number of Sussex families whose names are referable to
the Anglo-Saxon language. Such surnames, however, are no evidence of
descent from Anglo-Saxon ancestors, since there were very few surnames
transmitted from father to son till many years after the conquest, and
when, subsequently to that event, surnames came to be assumed or attri-
buted from places of abode or birth, or from offices or occupations, an
Anglo-Saxon or Saxon-English word was almost as likely to become the
patronymic of a Norman as of a Saxon family.
Mr. Blaauw, the Hon. Secretary of the Society, with his accustomed
industry, has furnished four papers. One is on the effigy of Sir David
Owen, in Easebornc Church, near Midhurst, with a copy of his will and a
codicil. In this we have a more correct description of the effigy than had
before been published, and good grounds are shown for accepting it as
that of Sir David Owen, the illegitimate son of Owen Tudor, who, by
his marriage with Katherine, the widowed queen of Henry V., became the
stepfather of Henry VI., and was the grandfather of Henry VII. It had
seemed so improbable that a son of this Owen Tudor should have died
in 1542, that Nicolas, Baker, and some other genealogists, had supposed
a generation had been overlooked, and that Sir David was Owen Tudor 's
grandson. He had even been mistaken for a son of Eenrj VIII. Mr.
Blaauw has explained this most satisfactorily, by means of the deposition
made by Sir David himself as a witness at the time the divorce of
Henry VIII. from his Queen Katherine of Arragon was in agitation ;
which shows that he was born in 1459, about two years before the execu-
tion of Owen Tudor, and consequently was only eighty-three years of age
at his own death in 1542. The will, a document of considerable length,
was found at Cowdray, and was exhibited by Mr. Alexander Brown of
the Priory, Easebornc, on the request of Sir D. S. Scott, at the meeting
of the Institute at Chichester. Though not the last will of Sir David, it
was evidently an original will, which, on his thinking fit to alter the
LOO
NOTICES OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL rrnUC.\T1«>\<.
disposition of his property, had been partially erased and interlined to serve
draft of another will. It is interesting from the information which it
gives respecting his family, and as illustrating the manners of the age.
Mr. Blaauw has been at the pains to compare it with the copy of the
r's last will in the Register Book at Doctor's Commons, and has
noted the variations. In a paper on the Ornamental Brickwork of a
Tower at Laughton Place, built in 1534, with some woodcuts, he invites
attention to Bome remarkable examples of moulded brickB and terra-cotta
ornaments remaining in that building. Of one of them, the Pelham
buckle, bearing the date of the erection of the tower, the Institute is
indebted to Mr. Blaauw for a cast, which is noticed in the eleventh volume
of this Journal, and by his permission we are now able to give a woodcul
of it.
I U illi.iiu Poll
The '1:1'. payers of the Borough of Arundel, with extracts from the
Subsidy Boll of 1296 and other MSS., form the abject of another paper
by him ; and there is also one relating to tome Su tes Monasteries at the
time of their di solution. This, which is parti) derived from original
furnishe ie curious particular respecting the condition of those
that time, tin- oonduct of the inmates, and the manner in which
tie. \ ted.
p we have a contribution on the Remain of an
ancient Mnnoi ' I whui t, illn trated bj a view ol the c
NOTICES OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL PUBLICATIONS.
101
ruins, a plan, and some mouldings ; and to this is subjoined some account
of the early history of the manor hy Mr. W. S. Walford, which, in conjunc-
tion with the style of the architecture, makes it appear probable that the
house was built about 12.50, by Walter de Scotney, the owner of several
manors in Sussex, Kent, and Hants, and also chief steward to Richard de
Clare, Earl of Gloucester ; but having been induced to administer poison to
the earl and his brother, William de Clare, of which the latter died, he
was tried, condemned and executed for the crime at Winchester in 1259.
Even the ruins of domestic buildings of this early date are so rare, that we
are glad to avail ourselves of the permission of the Committee of the
Sussex Society in regard to the woodcuts to give Mr. Nesbitt's description
of the remains of this house with his illustrations. Being near Hastings,
these ruins may be known to some of our readers. " They consist — as
will be seen by the accompanying ground-plan (see next page) — of portions
of a parallelogram measuring internally
40 feet by 23, and of a porch at the south-
east angle of the principal building. The
parallelogram had a low vaulted ground-
floor, lighted by small lancet windows :
the whole of the vaulting has fallen, but
corbels remain in the angles, and traces
of the arches on the walls. No doorway
is left, but it was probably in the south
wall. The entrance to the room above
this vaulted space was most likely also
in the south wall ; no part, however, of the
walls of the upper room remains, except the
gable represented in the woodcut (see next
page). The outer door-case of the porch
has been destroyed, but the inner exists,
and has good early English mouldings
(see cut a) ; it had shafts, but these have
been removed. The groined vault remains,
though the ribs have fallen. Over the
porch was a small room, the only access
to which was by a door leading from the
east end of the large upper room. It will be
seen in the woodcut (next page) that a wall
is corbelled out across the angle between
the porch and the main building, in order
to allow of the formation of this door
way. This small room may very possibly
have served as a chapel or oratory ; rooms
similarly placed, and of about the same Mouldings of E. window. Manor House,
d. * i i j i i at Crowhurst.
intensions, were clearly used as chapels
at Little Wenham Hall, Suffolk, and Old Soar in the parish of Plaxtole,
Kent.1 The large upper room had a handsome two-light window in its
east end. The tracery of this window is partly destroyed, but it evidently
had two pointed lights with a circle above, all unfoliated. The mouldings of
the arch (cut b, p. 3) are rich; the filleted roll on the outside of the jamb (cut
<•, p. 3) is rather peculiar; the shafts have disappeared, but the capitals
Hudson Turner's Domestic Architecture in England, pp. 152, 174.
rob.
...r-
■
L—-^-
l_-l_UJL ._' I < >-t
I I I I
NOTICES OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL PUBLICATIONS. 103
remain, and are sculptured with foliage of the usual early English cha-
racter of much elegance. As has been said before, no traces remain of
the entrance ; it probably was in the south wall near the west end, and
reached by a flight of external stairs leading from near the porch."
There is a short paper hy the Rev. P. Freemax, suggesting that the
"Temple by Chichester," the subject of an etching t. Car. II. copied in
vol. v. of these Collections for the purpose of having it identified, may have
been the former church of Saint Bartholomew near Chichester, which was
taken down many years ago. Another by Mr. Hills, on the stone bearing
a Roman inscription found at Chichester in 1723, and now at Goodwood,
gives what is considered an amended reading (in type) of the inscription ;
but the primary object of this notice of the stone is, to correct the preva-
lent impression that it is Sussex marble, and consequently a proof of the
Romans having worked those beds. Mr. Hills states it to be Purbeck, and
refers to the difference of the fossils (Paludina fluviorum and P. elongata)
in the two stones in support of his statement.
Mr. M. A. Lower, to whom these volumes of the Sussex Society have
been much indebted, has presented us with " Memorials of the town, parish,
and Cinque port of Seaford, historical and antiquarian," with some illus-
trations. This ancient town and port form a very appropriate subject for
a contribution to Sussex history. The spot has yielded evidence of Roman
occupation ; was a port in Anglo-Saxon times ; and after the conquest it
was a member of the Cinque ports, and the town became part of the posses-
sions of the Earls of Warenne. But now the town is greatly decayed, and
the coast so altered, chiefly from natural causes, that it is no easy matter to
discover where the port could have been. Some curious particulars have
been brought to light, and the communication throughout bears the impress
of Mr. Lower's zeal and industry. It will no doubt be perused with
interest, though, seeing the space it occupies, perhaps even Sussex readers
may think that, in what relates to the later portion of the history, more
selection and even some further retrenchment might have been advan-
tageously employed.
From Mr. Figg we have a paper on the Lantern in the Cluniac Priory
of St. Pancras, Lewes, with plan and sections. It may be unknown to
many of our readers, that on the site of this priory is a subterranean
passage, leading to a small circular cell hardly five feet in diameter, also
underground, which has been generally, if not always, known by the name
of the Lantern. It should seem to have been under the area of the cloisters,
the entrance to the passage having been in an undercroft of a building
adjoining the south cloister. "It is built," Mr. Figg says, "of small
pieces of faced chalk, while the passage leading to it is of flints laid in and
grouted." The passage is not straight, and at the first angle is a square
communication from above, probably, we would suggest, for light and air.
By the permission of the Committee we are enabled to give the plan and sec-
tions (see next page), which will render the subject more readily intelligible.
Mr. Figg shows good reason for believing this small dark circular structure
to have been a prison or penitential cell, and adduces instances of the use
of the word Lanterna, for a place of confinement, from the Cluniac statutes,
and of the word Lantern in a like sense from the examination of the Lollard
preacher, Thorpe, before Archbishop Arundel in 1407. This may furnish
a satisfactory explanation of many a subterranean passage in sites of
religious houses ; to account for which various surmises have passed into
traditions, that they led to some neighbouring church or castle.
L04
NOTICES OP ARCHAEOLOGICAL PUBLICATIONS.
The Bishop of the Dioi bse haa communicated a letter from Bishop
Carlton, describing the reception of the Duke of Monmouth at Chichester,
in 1679, derived from a MS. in the Bodleian library. It shows the fearful
B
n
L . THE LANTERN.
SCALE 10 FEET TO 3,£ OF AN INCH
-=H
W F1CC.C.S.A. del.
state of excitement in which the puhlic mind then was, on the subject of
elusion of the Duke of York, and the refusal of the King to assemble
parliament.
Sib David Sibbalij Scott, Bart., has contributed a copy of the Book of
Orders and Rules established by Anthony Viscount Montague for the
direction and government of his household and family, \.i>. L595,
;i MS. hitherto unpublished, which is preserved at Baseborne Priory, and
oticed by Sir D. S. Scott in vol. v. of these Collections, p. 187. The
original MS. was exhibited by Mr. Alexander Brown of that place in the
Museum of the [nstitute at the Chichester Meeting. It presents a most
minute and graphic view of the Btate, routine, and domestic economy of a
nobleman's household at that period, with the prescribed duties of the
several officers. To tie-'- who Bre desirous of understanding the manners
of the age in these respects, it will well repay an attentive perusal. Pew,
nk, will read the introductory observations of Sir D. S. Scott without
being induced to peruse the Orders and Rules, though al first they may
appear little attractive to th neral reader. As l ks of the kind,
relating to the household of a Bubject, are rare, this contribution is the
more acceptable.
I'm. ni Mr. Corner there is a communication entitled "Grant per
cultellum of William the Second Barl of vVarenne." The deed referred
to, and introduced in the cour e of his observation ni bj thai Barl,
with the assent of his Counte I abel, to the church of St. Andrew,
. of land in Southwark. On whicl en ion, as the grant was
di tance from the land, there was a lymbolio delivery of the pos
ol a knife. At thai time, and even down to our own i
bh u ed, •>' a no! net • arj for the tran jfer
>.f land when the grantor was in in li m tiveyed by
wi.nl of mouth and delivery of the po e ion to the grantee. The deed
tnportanl only a evidence of the trail action. Bxcepl in vcrj early
NOTICES OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL PUBLICATIONS. 105
times, such delivery took place on the land, a turf or the like being
delivered by the grantor to the grantee as a symbol of the land itself ; but
in those early times, which would comprise a great part of the Xllth century,
8 symbolic delivery, by means of some chattel, at a distance from the
land, should seem to have sufficed, if the grantee afterwards actually
obtained possession in the life-time of the grantor, although without any
further authority from him as was in Bracton's time required ; or at least,
whatever may have been the legal effect of it, a delivery of this kind at a
distance from the land, in addition to the deed, was not uncommon. Hence
various quaint things that chanced to be at hand came to be employed ;
such as knives, staves, rings, horns, cups, &c. Some of these, which
have been preserved as curiosities, are noticed by Mr. Corner. The practice
to some extent continues in regard to copyhold land : which is still trans-
ferred by the symbol, commonly, of a rod, though in a few manors some-
thing else, as a glove or straw, is used. Needless obscurity has been thrown
over such grants as those mentioned by Mr. Corner for want of sufficiently
investigating the early usages ; but our limits will not allow us to enter
further into the subject.
There is appended to this volume some " Xotes and Queries" relating
to Sussex matters, and the Report of the Proceedings of the Meeting of
the Institute at Chichester.
CAMBRIDGE ANTIQUARIAN SOCIETY ; Reports and Communications made to
the Society, Nos. I., II., III. and IV. London : G. Bell, Fleet Street ; J. Russell
Smith, Soho Square. 8vo.
Fourteen years have elapsed since the foundation of the Cambridge
Antiquarian Society ; from unavoidable circumstances it is not a numerous
body, but we have gratifying evidence that it is vigorously fulfilling the
objects for which it was established. Many of our readers will remember
with pleasure the opportunity afforded at the late meeting of the Institute,
for the examination of many local antiquities placed by this Society, with
the kindest feeling, at the disposal of the Institute to further our object in
the formation of the temporary Museum. Whilst no general collection of
antiquities exists in the University, more especially as a depository for the
numerous vestiges of earlier times which the Fenland country has constantly
produced, an important service to archaeology has been rendered by the
Cambridge Society, and by those energetic members who have neglected
no occasion of securing such reliques, and of thus forming an assemblage of
most instructive indicia illustrating the ancient condition of that remark-
able district.
The Publications of the Society, consisting of Memoirs separately pro-
duced from time to time in quarto and octavo, comprise a valuable accession
to archaeological literature, although not so generally appreciated, we
apprehend, as they deserve. In now directing attention to the labours of
this Society, it is not proposed to offer any remarks on the contributions
forming their earlier and more important publications, but rather to bring
uiiihr the notice of our readers the additions recently made to the minor
series of their Transactions. The quarto Publications appear at intervals
as heretofore, whilst by an arrangement attended with considerable
advantage, the shorter Memoirs communicated at the Meetings are now
produced in conjunction with the Annual Report. We have now four of
VOL. XII. p
106 NOTICES OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL PUBLICATIONS.
yearly "Reports ami Communications" before us, and propose
briefly to invite attention to some of their varied contents.
A- a contribution from the evidence supplied by ancient Records, the
Rev. B. Venables presents to the Society the results of Ins examination of
the "Nona Rolls," so far as they relate to Cambridgeshire. Mr. C. C.
Babingtou supplies a Catalogue of the Tradesmen's Tokens issued in
Cambridgeshire in the XVIIth century, describing sixty-two, which belong to
the town of Cambridge; ami he has received some additional types since this
catalogue was published. There are Bixty-eight other tokens also described
as having been issued in other parts of that county. Such local lists of
the token- of the latter half of the XVIIth century are valuable, and we
would direct the attention of all local Societies to the subject. These
- are becoming rarer every day. and ought to be collected and
preserved as useful auxiliaries to the history of the places at which they
were issued, as also in connection with genealogical studies. The com-
munications are of very varied character, chiefly, however, illustrative of
subjects of local interest. Amongst them the following claim our notice :
Some account of a very ran' life of St. Radegunde, given by the Kev. C.
Bardwick. The life is metrical, and was written by Henry Bradshaw, a
Benedictine moni of Chester. Remarks on Church and Parochial Libraries,
by the Kev. .1. J. Smith. On some Roman Pottery found near Poxton,
Cambridgeshire. Mr. C. C. Babington calls attention to this local discovery,
which is of much interest, from a very fine Arretine vessel forming part of
it. During the Institute's Meeting at Cambridge we had the pleasure of
Beeing the fragments of this vessel, which have been carefully united
together, bo as to convey a good idea of its original state. We were
pleased to find that the foot had been recovered since the plate appended
to this paper was issued. We may next mention a letter addressed by
St. John's College to the Countess of Shrewsbury concerning the building
of a library adjoining the fine court of that college, which had been erected
at her expense. Mr. ('. ('. Babington gives a short memoir on Borne
antiquities found in Corpus Christi College. A portion of a curious and
perhaps unique tract, entitled "The General Pardon. '* by W. Eayward,
imprinted at London, by W. How. for W. Pickeringe, was found at that
time. It ie much to be desired thai a perfect copy of this tract, printed
about 1571,, could be obtained. We may also mention as discovered at the
same time and place Borne curious shoes and clogs belonging to the reign of
Elizabeth, of which a plate ie given. The e curiouB and possibly unique
examples of the ingenuity of the "gentle crafl " in medieval times were
placed in our Museum at the Cambridge Meeting, Mr. C. II. Newmaroh
rotes on some Roman buildings at Cirencester, thai the
of many ol them had been raised after the internal decorations were
completed, on account of the prevalent f il 1- al that place. There is
ious paper on the Orientation of King's College Chapel, bj Mr.
R ! i direction of the chapel was obtained IV some observe**
1( fi.i a oientific purpose by the celebrated mathematician Mr.
Lftei di cu iug the ubject, Mr. Rigg arrives al the
conclu ion thai this edifice is a complete exception to the rules of orients*
id down hv the wi\ I thai theory. Note in erted in a copy
ill i I 'ias. r Book, i iiini ib some point s of int< n t.
One "i them i an entry to the effect thai originally the tithe upon b
in London wore paid bj "o halfpenny for each pound' the house
which the red to the pai on upon even Sundai and Holy
ARCHAEOLOGICAL INTELLIGENCE. 107
day, of which there were sometymes so many, that the tythes amounted to
3s. 3d. upon the pound. This course was altered by ye decree, and brought
down to 2s. 9d." Mr. C. TI. Cooper communicates some curious facts and
documents concerning the Vow of Widowhood. The same antiquary
furnishes a copy of a Letter from Oliver Cromwell to his sister, and has
added some curious notes. The next contribution is one of interest,
especially to the student of Academic history. It is a form of Petition
addressed to Henry V., about the year 1415, in vindication of some ancient
usages of the University of Cambridge. The Rev. C. Ilardwick, who
supplies this document, has added many valuable notes. The last paper
that we shall notice consists of a collection of Letters of Roger Ascham,
communicated by and copiously illustrated with notes Mr. J. E. B. Mayor.
. In conclusion we may express regret that the well directed efforts of this
Society should not have received the more ample encouragement and
support to which they are entitled. We heartily desire that the claims of
National Antiquities may henceforth be appreciated with increasing interest
in the University, which presents so important a field of investigation.
Evcftacoloaicnl Jntclltaeiut.
Mr. Philip Delamotte, one of our most skilful photographers, announces
for immediate publication (by subscription) a " Photographic Tour among
the Abbeys of Yorkshire," with notices by Mr. Walbran. The volume,
comprising twenty-four large viewrs, will be produced by Messrs Bell &
Daldy, 1 80, Fleet-street.
Several valuable publications have recently been produced by the
Surtees Society ; amongst these may be mentioned the Pontifical of
Egbert, Archbishop of York, 732 — 700, from a MS. in the Imperial
Library, Paris ; the Lindisfarne and Rushworth Gospels, edited by the Rev.
Joseph Stephenson, from MSS. in the British Museum and the Bodleian ;
and the Wills with Inventories preserved in the Registry at Richmond,
Yorkshire, produced under the care of the Rev. J. Raine, jun. The Society
claims the liberality of antiquaries towards the achievement of a fresh
undertaking to which their resources are unequal; it is calculated to throw
an important light upon the history of the Palatinate of Durham, as well as
upon national customs and manners. It is the publication of Bishop Hat-
field's Survey, in the fourteenth century, which will form a valuable sequel
to the Boldon Buke, compiled in 1183, and already published by the Surtees
Society, whose labours well deserve to be more generally appreciated.
Those who take interest in this object are requested to communicate with
the Rev. James Raine, jun., Newcastle.
Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. — At the meeting on Jan. 15,
Mr. Cosmo Innes produced the "Black Book of Breadalbane," preserved
at Taymouth, and gave an account of the curious memorials, relating to
the family and their possessions, recorded in it : it contains also several
portraits, and notices of the paintings executed by direction of Sir Colin
Campbell, in the earlier part of the XVIIth century, by a German painter
and the celebrated George Jamesone, some of whose best works still exist at
Taymouth. Mr. Chambers read notes on a box presented by Alexander
Pope, the poet, to his namesake and supposed relation, a minister in Caith-
nesshire. Mr. Robertson read some original notices from the Rotuli
108 ABCHAEOLOGICAL INTELLIGENCE.
Scaccarii relating to Barbour, author of " the Bruce ; " and Mr. Scott gavfl
an account of a silver reliquary found at Dundee. — February 12. The Lev.
T. M'Lauchlan read a memoir on a collection of Gaelic Poems and 1 1 i-t<>-
rical fragments preserved in a Ms. in the Advocate's Library, known as
"The Dean of Lismore's Book," the oldest known specimen of written
Scottish Graelic. Dr. Scott road a notice of the ancient die of a Scottish
coin, latch d to the museum. Mr. Brodie gave some remarks on
clay Dagobas, bearing Sanscrit Btamps from Ceylon : and Mr. Petrie read
a Description of Antiquities in Orkney recently examined, comprising a
large burg or round tower, with concealed cells and passages, various
remains found in the tumuli near the Standing Stones of Stennis, and in
another barrow at Papa-Westray, apparently a family Bepulchre : also
further observations on the Pict's House at that place, excavated by Lieut.
Thomas, R.N. Traces of incised figures have been perceived, resembling
those mi the stones forming the sepulchral chamber at New Grange, in
[reland. — March 12. Mr. Jarvise communicated an account of sites in
Forfarshire where antiquities had been found, presented by him to the
Society. Dr. Wise gave a notice on the Fort of Barry Hill, Forfarshire,
now destroyed. Mr. Rhind sent a Memoir on Roman Swords, asserting
his opinion that the bronze leaf-shaped swords are not of the Roman age.
The Rev. Dr. Chalmers gave an account of a stone coffin found at Dun-
fermline Abbey, containing a corpse wrapped in leather ; and Dr. Scott
contributed notices of Impressions from Seals, chiefly of the Bglinton
family.
We have the gratification of stating that the Master and Fellows of
Pembroke College have liberally permitted Mr. Ready to make copies of
the seals preservnl amongst their muniments, and he is engaged in that
rich depository. Amongst Mr. Ready's most recent acquisitions may be
mentioned a fine impression from the seal of Anne of Bohemia, queen of
Richard IL, and a remarkably perfect seal of that king ; a portion of the
curious seal of Hubert do Burgh, chief justice in the time of Henry 111. ;
and the beautiful Beal of John Lord Bardolf, 19 Edward 111. Mi-. Ready
ha- al-o received a huge collection of German seals, including nearly a
complete series of those of the emperors from a very earl} period, commencing
with Charlemagne. Tie \ may be obtained on application to Mr. Ready,
j. St Botolph's Lane, Cambridge.
Tie- Asm \i. Mi. mi ig of the [nstitute will be held at Shrewsbury, under
the patronage of the Viscount Hill, Lord Lieutenanl of Shropshire.
Announcement of the arrangements will Bhortlj be isBued.
A'':'' tO /'"</' 7-">.
tin- preceding aheeta were printed, a further and more direct proof of Godfrey
having been in the service •>! \\ illhun de Bohun Earl of Northampton,
who, ire have seen, waa lord ■•! the manor "i vVykea, lia been i<.nn.l in Madox
Pormulare Anglicanum, p. 349. I' ia a power <>i attorney l\ the Earl authorising Ins
■ i well beloved Godfrey de la Rokele to deliver seisin of certain lai
• ii by the I ..'ii I in exchange, and to aco pi Beiain ol othi r-,
een taken in lien ol them. The inatrument i in French, and waa under
i irl, and dated a( Ramaden Belhouae, he 6th ol June, in thi
I . which waa within thirteen yeara after the probable date of the
M. •!■ I ■ Rokele, Downham and Ramadcn Bclhou
•'»'lj i i . and the buaineaa to i"- tranaacted under tlie power ol
: i \' i. nob a wa • liki K i" i" >■ mm. .1 o. t li- Earl'i
2Tf)e archaeological SJotunal*
JUNE, 1855.
NOTICES OF CERTAIN SHAFTS, CONTAINING REMAINS OF
THE ROMAN PERIOD, DISCOVERED AT THE ROMAN
STATION AT CHESTERFORD, ESSEX.
BY THE HON. RICHARD C. NEVILLE, F.S.A., VICE-PRESIDENT.
Soon after the commencement of my excavations at
Chesterford, in 1845, 1 became acquainted with a remarkable
feature in the vestiges of Roman occupation, to which my
attention was especially directed by the discovery of its
existence in another part of the country about the same
time. I allude to the deep pits or shafts from which
Dr. Diamond obtained pottery of various kinds and other
Roman remains, in the vicinity of Ewell, in Surrey.1 Though
frequent mention has been made by antiquaries of large holes
filled with black mould and debris, on various ancient sites,
they have usually been indiscriminately termed rubbish pits ;
but I am not aware that, with the exception of the investiga-
tion by the gentleman above named, any steps have been
taken to elucidate the penetralia of these mysterious reposi-
tories. From their close contiguity to each other, their
shape, diameter, depth, and the nature of their contents,
they are certainly not to be included in any such general
designation, whatever their appropriation may have been.
With the hope of establishing this, though scarcely of
assigning to them their proper purpose, I shall enumerate
the various peculiarities which have come under my observa-
tion, leaving to others to form their opinion from the evidence
1 See Dr. Diamond's account of this discovery, which occurred about November,
1847. Archseologia, vol. xxxii. p. 451.
VOL. XII. Q
110 NOTICES OF SHAFTS CONTAINING ROMAN REMAINS,
1 may lay before them. In the course of my labours, I have
examined more than forty of these holes, and I therefore
approach the subject with Borne degree of confidence.
In order to enable my readers to understand more clearly
the meaning of the term circular shafts or holes, in my
ptation of it. 1 shall, before entering further into the
Bubject, briefly define their character according to my
experience- Their existence is easily ascertained in trenching
the ground, by the particular looseness of the soil in them,
which too, on being struck at the surface with the wooden
handle of the mattock, emits a hollow sound in proportion as
the shaft below is more or less deep. In shape they are
generally round, if not completely cylindrical, and from the
moment they begin to descend their form becomes distinct,
for at the mouth it is sometimes irregular. Their course is
easily followed through the undisturbed natural soil which,
when of chalk or gravel as at Chesterford, serves the same
purpose as the Bteaning of a well, and affords security to the
workman in clearing them out. Their diameter varies from
4 to 7 feet, the major part average 4 feet, continuing the Bame
size a> they descend, but some contract gradually towards
the bottom ; they have terminated almost in a point in one
or two instances; and in as many their diameter all the way
down has not exceeded a yard. Their depth is more
capricious in the higher parts of the Borough, as it is termed at
Chesterford, for although some there, as well as in the lower
ground, do not run down lower than 5, 7. L0, or 11 feet,
many reach more than L2 feet, and they have been dug as
deep .'i- 16, L8, 22, and 28 feet. In the lower parts II feet
is the maximum they have attained, in fact they could not
,-,1 it without reaching the water, and they range from
6 to 8 feet, four feel is the minimum in any Bite. In only
instances, once in the higher, and once in the lower
ground, have they terminated in water. Their bottoms are
n iiiiiv dry. These holes are confined to no particular
portion of the Station, having occurred as often without as
inside the walls, and very frequently within a few feet of one
another. Groups of three or four together are not unc mon,
and in the rectory ground , in December, 1853, and in the
Bpringofthe presont year,so manj as fifteen were excavated
in less than half an acre of ground. When thej are more
than 12 feet a rope and basket, Bucb as well-diggera use, are
DISCOVERED AT THE ROMAN STATION AT CHESTERFORD. HI
required to empty them ; their examination is therefore
attended with considerable labour, and is often a tedious
operation. I mention this in order to account for the
difficulty experienced in getting out vessels of glass or
pottery without injury, lying as they do in such a confined
space and immediately beneath the feet of the workman.
At Ewell, if I recollect rightly, a railway cutting afforded
the opportunity of obtaining a vertical section of the shafts,
exposing their contents to view in situ, and their course was
distinctly marked by the contrast of the dark soil in them
with the chalk of the locality. At Chesterford a similar
advantage was offered only in the gravel pit belonging to the
parish, where the gravel, which is very near the surface, runs
deep, and presents a sort of cliff as it recedes before the
stone-diggers ; in this the black veins stand out in equally
strong relief with those in Surrey. Two or three of them in
this locality I shall have to notice especially, when I review
the objects discovered in these holes. These relics are the
next and most important part of the subject under consider-
ation, and they are so numerous and vary so much as to
baffle all rules in describing. Pottery entire, as well as
broken, bones of animals, chiefly of bullocks, and oyster-
shells, are the most general features of their contents, while
some holes have been found destitute of any such remains.
I shall therefore commence with the most remarkable shafts
I first examined, including those in the parish work which
have come under my notice, and proceed in order of time,
specifying the dimensions, contents, and their position in the
ground as my notes serve me, while of those last excavated
I have kept a regular journal during the progress of the
labourers.
By this arrangement I revert to the autumn of 1845,
when I first began to dig at Chesterford, in a field within the
station walls, and next to the parish gravel-pit. The first of
the circular holes I opened here did not run deep, but it
contained the curious terra-cotta thuridtdum engraved in
my " Antiqua Explorata," and in the fifth volume of this
Journal, page 236. When found it was in pieces which all
lay together ; from the same hole a second brass coin of
Vespasian, an iron stylus, and a bone pin were taken. The
two next were also shallow, the deepest being ten feet > in
it was found a large stone-coloured <>Hu. which, together
112 (TOTICES OF shafts CONTAINING ROMAN REMAINS,
with a large fine red amphora trom the third hole, is figured
in both the works referred to. These vessels were both in
fragments, and had to be restored ; the bones of fowls were
found in the <>Hn for the first time in these pits, and those of
bullocks occurred in all three. The next deep hole contained,
near tin' bottom, ;i bone knife-handle — a carved figure of
Hercules with his club. Of this a representation is here
given. A deeper Bhafi excavated soon after reached 22 feet,
proving the must prolific of those hitherto examined. Many
bones of oxen ami four fictile vessels were found in it ; a
targe black saucer, a red basin of line ware, not Samian, with
a pair of tall black cylices or drinking cups.
with indented sides. All four vessels were
entire when discovered, but the basin and one
of the cups were slightly injured by the pick :
the >aueer lav highest in the hole, the basin
near the middle, the cups at the bottom.
About this time a small basin of plain red
Samian ware, with a potter's name, victoki m.
was brought to me by a parish workman from
one of these shafts in the gravel pit. Later
in the same year, in a small enclosure behind
some cottages, still within the Borough walls.
I examined two more round pits : of these I
have no particular record beyond the fact.
that a pair of bronze t weezers with an ear-pick
was taken from one. and a silver denarius
of Saloninus from the other, but T remember
many fragments of pottery and animals'
hones iii both. After an interval of a year
and a half. I again met with similar shafts,
ami on the 9th of .July. 1847, a very deep
one \\;is opened in a field rather more than a
mile oiilside the w;ills; d0WB tO s feel, two
small brass coins of Claudius Gothicus, some bullocks' bones,
limpet and oyster shells, were all thai were found ; at that
depth, however, appeared a line bronze comb with a double
of teeth (an objecl of very rar scurrence, formed oi
metal) ; from 8 to is feet, only potterv in fragments, parts
of ,-i human -full, a bronze pin, and a plated denarius of
I -11111110; Inn .-it 20 feei lav a bronze patera, or ladle,
with trace "I gilding upon ii ; of the comb and ladle repre-
i
quarter of ,-i
DISCOVERED AT THE ROMAN STATION AT CHE8TEBFOED. 118
sentations are given (sec woodcuts, next page).2 Between
20 and 28 feet, at the bottom of the hole, broken pottery and
bones of animals were plentiful, and at last water appeared ; I
must observe that it is probable the anxiety of my labourers
to fathom the real depth, caused them to penetrate beyond
it and strike a spring. Three vessels, a miniature tun,3
(see woodcut) a basin of black glazed ware, resembling that
found near Upchurch, in Kent, and a common vase, were
restored from the broken pieces in this shaft. In the
September following, I explored several more pits just within
the wall of the station and close to one another. The
deepest did not exceed 18 feet, but the}- averaged from 12
to 15 feet. Bones of bullocks were found in all, one
contained the heads of two ravens and a cock, some the
bones of dogs, some, oyster-shells ; from one, a roof coping
tile, without any traces of mortar on it, was taken ; this
again occurred subsequently in another place. In one were
found three perfect drinking cups with indented sides ; in
another, a bottle of pottery and a small basin of plain
Samian ware ; these, with a second bone knife-handle
curiously carved, are the principal objects of interest from
the holes on this site. Later in the same autumn I was
summoned to inspect a deep shaft in the parish gravel-pit,
from which two vessels of fictile ware had been obtained,
and along with them, near the bottom, the debris of a
beautiful green glass vase. I took away the fragments, which
have been skilfully restored, and may now be seen in my
collection in the shape of a modern claret jug (See the
accompanying representation from a drawing by Mr.
Youngman).4 The other two vessels were, I think, presented
by the Rev. C. Sparkes, then curate of Chesterford, to the
Cambridge Antiquarian Society. In the spring of 1848, a
- See " Sepulchra Exposita," by the as connected with ancient sepulchral re-
Hod. H. C. Seville, pp. 7.'5. 74. mains, is given in the Jahrbiicher des
3 A diminutive tun of fictile ware oc- Vereius von AlterthumsfreundenimRhein-
curred amount the numerous relicpies of lande. No XVIII. p. 145. Bonn, 1852.
Roman pottery found in the Ustrinum at * Vessels of glass, of this description,
Litlington, and now at Clare Hall, Cam- have very rarely been found amongst
bridge. Archseologia, vol sxvi. pi 45, Roman remains in this country. Compare
Tlnre is another in the British Museum. <«ne discovered in one of the Bartlow
The Abbe*Cochet has discovered numerous Burrow*, Archseologia, vol. xxv. pi. 2,
barilleta of ^lass in Roman tombs in and another found at Sliefford, Bedford-
France. See his Normandie Souterraine, Bhire ; Journal of Brit. Arch. Assoc.
pp. 82, .''.'», &e.j 2nd Edit A curious vol. i. \>. 52.
Memoir by Dr. Brattll <>u the cask or tun,
ROMAN ANTIQUITIES, DISCOVERED A 1' CHESTERFORD, ESSEX.
Length of tin; original, I in., diam. 2] in.
lllllfl
Length of the original, £| in, breadth, Sin,
.
. ■ , II l: I I in liis
I. ill.
ROMAN ANTIQUITIES, DISCOVEEED AT CHESTEEFOED, ESSEX.
Ampulla, or Bottle, of Green Glass.
Found in excavations made by the Hon. R. C. Neville, in September, 1847, now preserved
in liis Museum at Audley End.
Height of the original, 13 inches.
1M NOTICES OP SHAFTS CONTAINING ROMAN REMAINS,
hole was excavated at the north end of tin' interior of the
wall; this was only LO feel deep, and is remarkable as
having contained a Sal Samian ware dish, in fragments, of
which the first pieces were found jusl beneath the surface,
and more appeared at int< rvals, until the entire dish was put
together at the edge of the pit, except one piece which lay
quite at the bottom. The greater part of the small Samian
basin found with the bottle in L847, lay near the top, while
a moiety was taken from the lower end of the shaft, which
was a deep one : a similar instance occurred in 1 S.~>;3. when
there was again an interval of several feet between one
fragment and the remainder of a vessel. These appear to be
significant facts as regards the purpose and formation of the
circular pits, to which may be added the remark that many
of their contents, bones, and especially iron and coins, when
they arc found, bear marks of having passed through the
fire. In November, L848, ••lose to the Roman building at
Chesterford, on the site of Stukeley's " Templi Umbra." as
many as three Samian ware vessels were taken from one
hole ; while, besides pottery from others, two bronze finger
rings were discovered in the same pit. Both these have
been sel with blue paste, and are figured in the sixth volume of
this Journal, page 18, together with one of the Samian
dishes, which has an ivy-leaf pattern, page L6 ; it bears there-
fore, as usual in embossed ware of this kind, no potter's
mark.
A period of five years, during which little was done at
Chesterford, brings me down to November, L 8 53, when my
excavations were renewed, by the kind permission of ill''
Rev. Lord Charles Hervey,in tie' rectory grounds. The site
examined Lies between the wesl wall of the churchyard and
the southern one of the Etonian station. The following
catalogue will best show the number ol boles opened here,
and the interesting nature of their contents, which, in more
than one instance, would constitute a remarkable find in
themseh e&
December 21, L853. Shafl I. Depth, 9 feel 6 inches.
Contents: Fragmentsof all kinds of fictilia in abundance,
amongsl them the bottom of a Samian ware vessel, with a
potter mark, dvocis. A.boul 8 feel deep, a perfect c ylix oi
black ware, with indented sides; this was broken by the
pick, bul has been re tored, excepl the rim. At 2 feel from
DISCOVERED AT THE ROMAN STATION AT CFTESTERFORD. 117
the surface, a silver denarius of Septimius Severus was found,
with the reverse — Indulgentia Augg in Cartii ; Cybele
seated on a lion. This type is the subject of a fine intaglio
on cornelian found by the late M. Honncgcr, Consul at Tunis,
in his excavations, and now in my Dactylotheca, reset in a
ring. December 23. Shaft 2. Depth, 7 feet. Contents : —
Many bones of bullocks and broken vases. Two coping roof
tiles, as in a former hole ; at 4 feet, a perfect black ejjl/,i\
with indented sides, lying horizontally in the side of the shaft;
at the same depth, a short and very thick bone pin, with
round head ; at 5 feet the soil changed from a black mould
to a light grey, apparently ashes of wood ; at the bottom, a
second bone pin, the fac-simile of the first, with a quantity
of bones of fowls, and two of their legs apparently mummied
and perfectly preserved. In its descent through the natural
soil, the sides of this pit had been clearly defined and solid ;
at its termination, the workmen broke through in one corner
into another shaft of a similar nature, which, upon examina-
tion, was found to have been sunk within a yard of the
mouth, and run down parallel to, but deeper than its neigh-
bour. December^. Shaft 3. Depth, 10 feet. Contents: —
Bones of bullocks and oyster-shells in abundance at 8 feet ;
about the same depth, a bone needle ; a perfect small vessel
of light-coloured ware, resembling those found with the bones
of infants, and figured in the tenth volume of this Journal,
page 21, lay at the bottom. This hole was so close to the
preceding one, that when emptied of their contents, they
presented the singular appearance of two open wells, side by
side, but distinct in their shafts excepting at their bottoms,
which were both dry. December 29. Shaft 4, near to the
two last. Depth, 10 feet. Contents: — Animals' bones and
shards of pottery, amongst them half the bottom and several
pieces of a fine embossed Samian ware bowl.
January 9, 1854. Shaft 5. Depth, 5 feet H inches.
Contents : — More than ninety implements, tires of wheels
and objects of iron altogether. These are so numerous, in
such good preservation, and they comprehend so many
objects novel and of interest, that any attempt to describe
them would far exceed the limits of a paper not exclusively
devoted to the subject, while it interrupted the one before us.
I hope, therefore, in a future number of the Journal, to do
justice to this remarkable discovery, when the beautiful
VOL. XII. K
L18 NOTICES OF SHAFTS CONTAINING ROMAN REMAINS,
drawings made by Mr. Youngmari, of Saffron Walden, will
facilitate the illustration of tin1 most curious articles.
January 1 -• Shaft <!. Depth, 14 feet. Contents: —
Bones dl' bullocks and of one dog; at 11 feet a perfect
pottery bottle, similar in shape to that from another of these
shafts in L847. Soon after, all the pieces of a Samian dish,
old fractures, since restored. It lias the potter's name.
ALBVCI. m. Portions of embossed Samian howls, oyster-
shells : ;m I- tort, a perfect black urn, of good ware ; at 13
feet, two dishes of plain Samian ware, one entire, the other
broken by the pick, since restored; both have makers'
names ; at 14 feet, two black basins, one of them not quite
whole making in all seven vessels of fictile ware from one
-haft. January 16. Shaft 7. Depth, 12 feet. Contents: —
Fragments of thick black ware, embossed, and plain Samian;
at <: Int. a second brass coin of Trajan, in good condition,
injure 1 slightly by fire ; at !» feet 6 inches, all the fragments
of a black basin, since restored; and at 12 feet, nearly all
those of a plain Samian ware dish, with potter's stamp.
January 18. Shaft 8 (this was within s feet of the preced-
ing one . Depth, 8 feet G inches. Contents : — At 3 feci, a
bronze ligula, similar to those from the Roman houses at
A.shdon .nil Bartlow (sec Volume X. of this Journal, page 16).
Nothing: more was found in this hole. January 20. Shalt ;i.
Depth 12 feet. Contents: — At 11 feet, two plain Samian
ware saucers, one entire, the other in fragments, old fractures
sine,, restored ; the firs! has a potter's stamp silvani. o.,
the second has the ivy-leaf pattern on the rim, and, as is
usually the case, there is no name impressed on the ware ;
;ii L2 feet, three vessels of dark ware, two of them black
,-. perfed when found, the third in pieces, .-ill of which
were obtained and reunited, making in all five vessels of
pottery from this Bhaft. January 24. shall 10. Depth.
L6 feet. Contents: Fragments of pottery ; al 15 feet,
a perfed urn of the glossy black ware, like those found
al [Jpchurch, aa in a former instance in one of these
pit 3.
January 27. Shafl 11. Depth, 6 feel M inches. Con«
Broken vessels and hones of animals, among them
three \, i\ large hone- of a horse, one being a deformed
tibia. Ai 10 feet, the lower half of a dark urn of thin ware
containing fl Quantity of bones o| -nine small hud. The
DISCOVERED AT THE ROMAN STATION AT CHESTERFOBD. 119
upper lialfof this vessel head been broken of old, but none of
the fragments were to be found in the shaft.
February % Shaft 12. Depth, 8 feet 10 inches. This is the
first pit on the site which has been entirely unproductive ;
not even a bit of pottery appeared in the soil. February
I ."3. Shaft 13. Depth, 7 feet. Contents : — Half a saucer of
light-coloured ware with a flat bottom. This hole was in
the shrubbery of the Rectory, on the north of the ground
containing the others, bordering on the Cambridge high
road. February 23. Shaft 14. Depth, 8 feet. Close
outside the churchyard wall, and almost under a large elm :
the roots had struck down in the loose soil of the shaft, and
so impeded the pick of the workmen that three vessels,
which were lying perfect at a depth of 5 feet, were much
broken. They are all of Castor ware, and on being restored
prove to be two cyliccs with indented sides ; one red, one of
slate colour, while the third is a black and red poculum.
This as also the red cylvv has a pattern on it, one in relief, the
other in white paint. Great numbers of oyster-shells and
bullocks' bones were found at 6 feet, as well as a miniature
axe head of iron, 3 inches long, with a portion of the handle,
which is slight and also of iron, broken in the socket. In
the 2 feet below nothing more occurred. February 27.
Shaft 15. Depth, IS feet. Very near the preceding one.
The excavation of this occupied three days. Contents : — At 5
feet a quantity of fragments of pottery began to appear ; at
6 feet a small Samian basin of plain ware lay broken of old,
but since restored ; it has a potter's stamp — sachr. f. ; a
piece of a fine embossed bowl, and numerous bits of vessels
with bronze pins, and two of bone with a round hole through
each, occurred at 10 feet : a little lower, oyster-shells, bullocks'
bones, and red mortar formed with pounded tile. Between
14 and 15 feet no pottery was found, and the soil changed
from a dark mould to fine sifted sand, but the black earth
reappeared soon with a few shards of fictilia, and continued
to 18 feet, when the water rose from the gravel bottom.
This is the second instance in which these pits have reached
the water. There were also taken from this pit a black urn,
which had been deposited horizontally in the side of the shaft,
entire, but was fractured by the pick, and another broken
Samian vessel which was restored : the fractures old.
Man// 3. Shaft 16. Depth, 4 feet. Contents: — A\rr\
L20 NOTICES OF shafts CONTAINING ROMAN REMAINS,
few pieces of pottery. Possibly onlythe eommcncenient of a
pit. March 4. Shaft 17. Depth,5feet. Contents: — The
same as its neighbour. This was the last of the shafts
discovered in the Rectory grounds. March 7. Shaft 18.
In a field, the property of R. Fisher, Esq., about 100
yards outside the northern face of the Borough walls, the
foundations of which are still to be traced crossing the
enclosure from east to west parallel to the Borough ditch.
Depth, 5 feet 4 inches. Contents: — Fragments of black,
and some embossed Samian ware. At 4 feet, all the
is of a plain Samian basin, except one, which lay at the
bottom: it has been restored, and has a potter's stamp —
a.capa. f. At the same depth the bones of a dog. March
24. Shaft 19. In the same field. Depth, 11 feet. Con-
tents : At 1- fret, a perfect black urn : at 9 feet, all the boms
of a dog, but no more pottery.
August 26. Shalt 20. Excavations recommenced on the
same Bite. Depth, 5 feet 4 inches. Contents: — All the
fragments of a black dish, of old fracture, since restored ;
and a piece of a fine embossed Samian bowl.
October 3. Shaft 21. On the same site. Depth, 7fee1 9
inches. Contents : — Broken pottery of no importance.
October 5. Shaft 22. Depth, 8 feet.' Contents: — At I feet
6 inches, an elegant black pitcher in fragments, since
restored : many bone- of bullocks and bits of vases ; and at
7 feet a bottle of dark ware, the handle lost ; this was in
halves when found. October 9. Shalt 23. Depth, 7 feet
Contents: Near the top, a silver denarius of Elagabalus,
much burnt ; at -l feel 5 inches, plated coins of Allectus, one
of Carausiue and one of Maximianus with an incuse reverse,
all in good preservation ; a large square iron nail 8| inches
long. At 5 feet, a square green glass bottle with a reeded
handle, nearly entire when found, hut broken by the pick :
almost all is restored. At the bottom a bone pin and a large
brass coin of Trajan, a little burnt. Octobt r 9. Shaft 24.
Depth, 8 feet. Contents : At I f< el I inches, all the frag-
menl of a red Ca tor ware cylix with indented sides : an
oldfracture. October 10 Shaft 25. Depth,8feet. Con-
tent* A third brass coin of Constantius, near the top;
ii'iits of embos ed and other pottery, and a silver
denariuf of Pau bina Senior, near the bottom. October II.
Shaft 26 Depth, 8 feet. Contents: Apieceofir ham
DISCOVERED AT THE ROMAN STATION AT CHESTERFORD. 1:21
12J inches long, with 2G links ; an iron knife <*it 6 feet 0
inches, and a fragment of the upper part of a black
basin, apparently of Upchurch ware, inscribed in capitals
scratched below the rim — varriatvs. October 13. Shaft
27. Depth, 6 feet. Contents : — Bones of a dog. The
greater part of a cup of red Castor ware, and some other
fragments, at 4 feet. This pit was larger than ordinary, being
between G and 7 feet in diameter. Shaft 28. Depth, 5 feet
7 inches. Contents: — Some bits of fictilia. October 14.
Shaft 2.9. Depth, G feet 6 inches. Contents : — Bones of
bullocks and broken vases. October 1 7. Shaft 30. Depth,
5 feet 6 inches. Contents : — A bronze stylus only, with
circular flat top for erasing. October 18. Shaft 31. Depth,
4 feet. Contents : — Bones of bullocks. October 20. Shaft
32. Depth, 6 feet 6 inches. Contents : — At 1 foot 6 inches,
a long metal pin strongly plated : a few fragments of
pottery.
November 18. Shaft 33. Depth, 5 feet. Contents: —
At 3 feet, many pieces of two pocula of Castor ware. This
hole was on a different site, being under the lawn in front
of the house formerly the Crown Inn at Chesterford, on
the north side of the Cambridge road, but still within the
Borough walls. Its diameter being only 3 feet it was
with difficulty cleared. November 28. Shaft 34. Depth,
8 feet 8 inches. Contents : — An iron falar, or small pruning
knife, with socket for a handle. On the same site, as are
all that follow. November 29. Shaft 35. Depth, 5 feet
G inches. Contents : — 2 bone pins, a pair of bronze
tweezers, and a swallow-tailed picker, fitting between
them, attached to a bronze-hinged loop for fitting on a
ring.
December 22. Shaft 3G. Depth, 5 feet 6 inches. Con-
tents : — Many fragments of pottery ; a large black
basin of thick smooth ware, entire when found, but
broken by the pick: since restored. Shaft 37. Depth, 5
feet 4 inches. Contents : — Broken pottery, and from near
the bottom a slight bronze stylus with circular flat top for
erasing. December 23. Shaft 38. Depth, 10 feet. Con-
tents : — At G feet, two short thick bone pins, many pieces of a
Castor ware c///i.i\ a tessera, as it appears, of some marble,
If inch long by 1 inch across, and ^ of an inch thick,
without any traces of mortar. At the bottom, the greatest
L£2 NOTICES OF SHAFTS CONTAINING ROMAN REMAINS,
part of a black cylue, with indented sides, in pieces.
D nber 30. Shaft 38. Depth, L 7 feet 3 inches. Con-
tents : — Many bones of dogs and some of bullocks ; parts of
the same animal appeared at II. and a^ain. at 14 feet ;
several bits of a plain Samian ware basin entirely blackened
by fire, a few pieces of thick Mark pottery, and two of a dish
with ivy-leaf pattern at between 11 and 14 feet; at L3 feet
(I indies, four fragments of a fine embossed Samian bowl,
which, united, made three parts of the vessel, and at I (! feet
•J inches, the missing portion in one large piece, enabling me
to restore a perfect anil beautiful specimen of these rare
fictilia. When complete it measures !' inches diameter at top,
and 5 indies in height. The subject upon the ware is aseries
of lions large and small in two rows ; they are at full speed,
and here and there a hare is represented squatting singly
among them ; the smaller lions are on the lower row dos-a-
dos in pairs, and run opposite ways. There is no trace of
the potter's name in the pattern or any other part of the
basin. Pull 2 feet 0" inches of soil intervened between the
firsl 1 pieces and the last ; at the bottom of the hole were
the fragments of a large black urn : two bone pins occurred
at lo feet, some oyster-shells, and eight or ten large pebble
paving BtoneS were found singly at intervals. The excavation
Of ibis hole occupied three days.
Januarys 1855. Shalt 39. Less than 10 feet from
X". 38. Depth, 13 feet. Contents: Nothing entire or
complete; lull three parts of a plain Samian dish near the
bottom; hours of animals very numerous, with marks of
burning; as in the other holes there were many of dogs,
which were 3acred to Proserpine. January 5. Shalt 40.
Pour feel from 39. Depth, 20 feet 2 inches. Contents:
A good many pieces of pottery, chiefly black ware: bones
of animals in profusion, among them two ?ery largejaw
bones of an os ; all the bones much burnl and the soil lull
of ash ; at L8 feel 6 Inches, a perfeel small black urn without
any contents. January 8. Shaft l l. Depth, 12 feel s
inches. Contents: A bone pin, bones of bullocks, broken
pottery, a poller's name 0BREALI8.M. ; at l<> feci, a dark
coloured urn fractured bj the pick. January !». Shafl 12.
Depth, o feei i inches. Contents: Broken pottery and
\ • niiii.i pi pi t umbrai
\,i .. . 1 1. ,
DISCOVERED AT THE ROMAN STATION AT CHESTERFORD. 123
bullocks' bones. Another hole was found 9 inches from the
margin. January 11. .Shaft 43. Depth, 21 feet 3 inches
Contents : — Pottery in fragments, dark and plain Samian
ware, bones of bullocks and dogs, the skull of one of the
latter, a large square lump of tula ; at 15 feet, a small white
mortarium, and a black urn ; the last was broken by the
pick ; at 16 and 19 feet, a black basin in pieces ; at 20 and
21, three large and entire urns of smooth black ware ; and
quite at the bottom, a small plain Samian ware basin with
potter's name — maccivs. f. Some mussel shells occurred,
and the bones of oxen were scattered in fragments all through
this shaft ; scarcely six inches of soil without some bits of
them. January 13. Shaft 44. Depth, 16 feet. Con-
tents : — Bones of bullocks, and a very few pieces of pottery.
At 6 feet 6 inches a large brass coin, so much burnt as to be
illegible, apparently a Commodus ; among the bits of pottery
two makers' names, one, — careti. m., the other — minait.
January 16. Shaft 45. Depth, 10 feet 9 inches. Con-
tents : — At 3 feet, a very perfect ironfall, semicircular, but
without handle ; at 8 feet 9 inches, a large white saucer of
thick ware ; at 1 0 feet 7 inches, a perfect black urn.
The close of this catalogue affords an opportunity of
introducing the following account, which seems to relate to
these pits, and is taken from Cole's manuscripts in the
British Museum. He says : — " Mr. Ashby, fellow of St.
John's, calling on me this morning, December 18, 1769, gave
me the following account of some antiquities lately discovered
at Chesterford, digging away the old Roman fortifications in
order to mend the highway with the materials. He told me
he received the information from Mr. Shepherd, an intelligent
farmer of the same town. A fine red dish of very bright
red earth, exceedingly smooth ; and within a circle was wrote
arilis. f., and was very fine ware. This was found with
many other broken pieces, with sheep's bones, at the bottom
of a well 10 feet deep. A skeleton lay across the top of the
well."
Since the subject is a novel one, I trust the above details
may not be found too minute or tedious, but I cannot take
leave of it without reviewing the principal features apparent
in them.
These pits were made designedly, with care, and are not
the results of a gradual accumulation of the soil, as in Roman
London, for they have been excavated at Chesterford through
124 NOTICES OF SHAFTS CONTAINING ROMAN REMAINS,
the gravel, and at Ewcll through the chalk, the natural strata
of the localities, and their shape is nearly uniform. The
presence of so many vessels of pottery in the shafts,
deposited entire at intervals, is a strong evidence against
their having been used merely as rubbish holes ; a still
stronger argumenl is furnished by many of them having been
sunk so near together, but clearly distinct from one another,
as also by their regular cylindrical form and depth. As
receptacles for debris an equally large surface of ground would
have been more easily obtained, and the necessity of going
bo deep obviated by throwing them all into one. As in only
two instances, out of so many, the water has been reached in
these shafts, if they were eyer intended for wells we must
suppose the Romans to have been perpetually commencing,
and abandoning fresh wells unfinished. ; but the river Cam,
which runs within a hundred yards of the west face of the
Borough walls, and less than a quarter of a mile from nearly
all these pits, renders the supposition at least most
improbable. The discovery of the numerous iron articles in
shaft No. 5, seems to favour the idea in Hewitt's History of
the Hundred of Compton in Berkshire, where speaking of
many round black holes in that neighbourhood, he suggests
they may have been intended lor granaries or storehouses."
hut the position of their contents in the earth at Chesterford,
with the exception of one above indicated, sufficiently
demonstrates this purpose not to have been their general
purpose. There is another use, (that of Cloaca') which has
been considered probable for seme holes in another locality,
and which, although impossible from the diameter and depth
of those under consideration, I notice, in order to state that
1 have i level- been able to detect anything, or any appearance
in the Boil from them, which could justify such a suspicion.
All the above explanations seem to be negatived by the
internal evidence of these pits. The only suggestion as yet
offered regarding their use, with any degree of probability,
i that they wen- in some manner connected with funeral or
sacrificial rites, and although the facts which have been
noticed may point to none in particular, man 3 circumstances
will be found on considering them, to denote that they were
The universal prevalence of bones of annuals with
; . 1 11 ..il :«. II. in 1811, Manning and I
und Hi 1 nl Surrej . trol iii App p nh iil,
rtj , in the n«>ighl rh I
DISCOVERED AT THE ROMAN STATION AT CHESTERFORD. 125
marks of burning, especially bones of bullocks, is alone
sufficient to give rise to such an idea, nor is the fact of those
of dogs, horses, and sheep being intermingled, calculated to
refute it, since all these creatures were sacrificed commonly.
The bones of the fowl in many of these holes, a bird especially
sacred, and frequently offered to iEsculapius, together with
the raven's head found in one pit, point to the same purpose.
Coins also, whenever they have been found, and iron frag-
ments appear to have passed through the flames. Fire we
know to have been an integral part of sacrifice, and sacrifice
an inseparable accompaniment of Roman funeral obsequies,
so that the same arguments apply equally to both. Perhaps
no conclusive evidence can be derived from two solitary
instances of portions of the human frame found in these
holes, one mentioned by Mr. Cole in 1769, the other in my
own experience, July, 1847.7 The number of household
vessels, utensils, and articles of personal use in them, are in
accordance with the customs of Latin burials. Certainly
many of the former are in fragments, but may it not be
supposed that having once been hallowed by such a use,
they were considered too sacred to be employed again,
and even if they had only been formerly for service in
the temples, without any reference to funerals. Whether
these mysterious penetralia were devoted to celebrating the
obsequies of persons dying on the site, or as it has been
suggested, of those who dying at a distance could not be
burnt ; or whether they were simply depositories of con-
secrated articles which had become unfit for use, of the
same nature as the favissce, cavities constructed under a
temple, as we learn from Varro, there is no proof positive.8
In order as much as possible to facilitate coming to some
conclusion on the subject, I have been desirous to place
on record the results of my experience, and I trust not
Avithout success.0
R. C. NEVILLE.
"> In the pits at Ewell Dr. Diamond Companion to the Latin Dictionary, r .
noticed portions of burnt human bones, Favissce.
the animal bones all being unburnt Ar- 9 Since the above was written, twelve
chseologia, vol. xxxii. |>. 452. more holes have been excavated at Ches-
s Three of these pits were found under terford ; the results of their examination,
a temple at, Fiesole, filled with broken which are inserted in their order in the
musical instruments, implements, utensils, catalogue, are strongly corroborative of
lamps, damaged fictilia, &C. See Rich's some of the observations I have made above.
126
NOTE ON THE SHAFTS DISCOT ERED IN VARIOUS PARTS OF GREAT
BRITAIN Al' SITES OF ROMAN OCCUPATION.
To tlioso readers who may take an interest in prosecuting investigation
of the Bubject brought before the Institute hy Mr. Neville in the foregoing
memoir, the following references to ether discoveries of a similar nature
may prove acceptable. It is remarkable that, so far as we are at present
informed, no depositories of this description have been noticed at Roman
station- or towns on the continent, with the exception only of the favissce,
formed, as we learn from Festus and Varro, underneath or near temples, to
rec< ive objects connected with sacred rites, which had become unfit for use.
Such places existed, as it is supposed, in the Capitol, and have been dis-
covered in recent times under a ruined temple al Fiesole. There appears,
however, to be no conclusive evidence to connect any of the pits found near
Roman station- in England with a place of heathen worship. Amongst
discoveries of pits of the same description as those made known to us through
the indefatigable zeal and intelligence of Mr. Neville, the following may be
noticed. Such shafts have been found in London, and were described bj
the late Mr. rlempe, in Gent. Mag., Dec, 1838 ; n pit of large size, opened
in < 1 i lt -_i ' 1 1 1;- the foundations for the new Royal Exchange, is described bj
Mr. C. Roach Smith as containing, amongst refuse of all kinds, modelling
tools and implements of steel in most perfect preservation. Mr. Roach
Smith Btates that similar pits have occurred at Springhead, near ( rravesend,
and he has noticed those found at Richborough, in his Antiquities of that
pine, j, 55 An account also of certain shaft.- found in the Isle of Thanet,
is given in the Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries, vol. i. p. 328.
They have occurred near Winchester, as described, Gent. Mag., Oct., 1838;
at Swell, Surrey, as stated in Mr. Neville'.- Memoir ; and at Stone.
Buckinghamshire, described in this Journal, vol. viii. p, 95, and bj
Mr. Akerman, in the Archseologia, vol. xxxiv. p. 21. A considerable
number of these remarkable cavities have been excavated by Mr. Trollope,
in the -tone quarries near the North Gate al Lincoln, and liuinerou-
mentS of Roman pottery, (fee, with animal remains and dehris of all kinds,
were found. In Scotland several CUrioU8 shafls of the like nature were
noticed near Perth bv Pennaut, who describes them as cylindrical pits sunk
as places of Sepulture. Tour in Scotland, vol. iii. p. 109. More recently.
railway operations have brought to light, near Newstead, Roxburghshire,
I remark . two of which were built round with stones. They
contained, amidst black -oil ami animal remains, pottery, shells, hones of
deer and oxen, a human skeleton ereel with a -pear at its side, accompanied
i . Roman fictilia, and other reliques of the Bame age. See Dr. Wilsons
Prehistoric Annals, p. 382. Mr. Wright, in The Celt, the Roman, ami the
m, p, 179, adverts to the discoveries of Buch "Rubbish Pits "near
Roman town and con i ha th< m to be cloaca which had become common
for n fu ■■ oi ev( i j description. Dr. Diamond and Mr. Akerman
concur in the opinion adopted by Pennanl ami other writers, that thej are
to be pulchral. Mr. Akerman, in his Memoir on the dis-
iggests, with much probability, that
•ucb i ■ ded the puticuiit depo itoriee lor the ashes ol the
humbl in Roman timi . thu described by a writer of the f 'th
centui I iicu "Sunt in uburbanii loca publica, inopura
qua loca culinai appellant . "
THE PARLIAMENTS OF CAMBRIDGE.
In pursuance of the plan I have hitherto adopted of
inquiring into the history of those national Councils which
have been held at the places where the Archaeological Insti-
tute has annually met, as well as to continue a series of
remarks upon the history of our representative system, it is
my intention at present to illustrate the Parliaments held at
Cambridge. When tracing the changes that have taken
place in the English constitution, it cannot fail to be observed
how gradually all these have been effected. The alterations,
when viewed from first to last, have undoubtedly been very
extensive, but we never seem to have made reforms with
violence, or without mature deliberation ; at any time to
have lost respect for ancient usages, or to have forgotten the
spirit that pervaded our institutions. Thus the prerogative
of the Crown and its hereditary descent have always been
considered inviolate, limited by certain fixed principles, but
still fully recognised and legally transmitted in every enact-
ment. And in the same way the old feudal power of the
barons is seen to perpetuate its recognition in the dignity of
the peerage and in the part it acts in the councils of the
realm, whilst the people with their improving condition have
obtained a direct voice in all the acts of legislation. By
these means the range of deliberation grew much wider, and
all subjects connected with the constitution assumed a more
consistent form.
As a passing exemplification of these remarks, and to
refer to some previously made, it must be observed thai the
first national council, called a Parliament, held at Oxford,
42 Henry III. (1258), adopted a representation by twelve
barons; whilst, in the instances of York and Lincoln, which
have previously been noticed, we observe the earliest sum-
monses to the burgesses to send members to Parliament. It
is needless to follow the intermediate steps of improvement,
as they have already been sufficiently discussed in the
memoirs alluded to. Yet as one of the transactions in the
Parliament held at York in the fifteenth year of Edward 11.
is the great authority lor the legislative power rested in the
128 T11F. PARLIAMENTS OF CAMBRIDGE.
King and Parliament united, it may not be irrelevant to the
present inquiry to stair, that in this Parliament of York, the
constitutional law of the land was placed ona more extended
foundation than the Greal Charter granted by King John
had contemplated. In reality, it was a clear acknowledg-
ment that the Commons had a right to share in the legisla-
tion of the kingdom, and to unite their opinions with the
crown and the upper house in all important affairs of the
Btate. For whilst the provisions of Oxford introduced the
nobility into the councils of the monarch, as being repre-
Bentatives ;ii that time for the people, whilst the people
themselves were gaining fresh privileges during the whole
of th" reign of Edward I., and creating that regenerative
influence which counteracts the tendency el' all governments
to grow internally weak, and of Liberty itself to decay ; -whilst
Parliament was formed of peers, spiritual and temporal, of
knights, citizens, and burgesses, acting under the king; in the
assembly held at Fork, it was laid down that all legislative
power belonged to the king, with the assenl of the prelates,
earls, and barons, and the commonalty of the realm. So
that in this memorable convention we have the declaration
that every act not done by that authority should be void and
of none effect.
After this explicit definition of legislative authority, it
need nol excite our surprise that few changes took place in
oin- constitutional system during the reign of Edward [II., or
indeed for a long period afterwards. This monarch confirmed
on several occasions the charters of his predecessors, to which
he was obliged by the necessities of his foreign wars; ami it
was mainly owing to his exigencies thai vre find him so fre-
quently imposing taxes without the consent of Parliament.
This disregard, however, for tin' opinion of his people,
tended to establish the imposition of aids in the twenty-fifth
year of his reign, on a more equitable basis. The principles
of taxation were not, il is true, ai this time clearly defined,
which U the only excuse thai can be offered for the monarch's
arbitrary conduct. Ye\ the commonalty always viewed these
taxations with bo much jealousy, that every fresh imposition
led to the acknowledgment of those fiscal principles which
are no* jo fully established.
when diehard II. a cended the throne he was only ten
year and a half old, Everything concurred t<> place the
THE PARLIAMENTS OF CAMBRIDGE. 129
youthful monarch in the most favourable position, but all the
advantages he derived from his father's popularity and from
his own natural innocence and gracefulness of person, were
defeated by his falling into the hands of John of Gaunt, Duke
of Lancaster. The youthful ruler found the kingdom in-
volved in war, yet neither the internal insurrection of his
own subjects, or the expensive hostilities that were carried
on with Scotland and France can reasonably be attributed
to his own want of prudence. The seeds of discontentment
Avere already sown, and it is unreasonable to charge all the
early acts of this reign upon a prince who was little more
than a boy, and who for some time to come could not reach
years of maturity or discretion. It is enough to consider
him responsible when he was a free agent, and the author of
his own measures, which he certainly was not, even at the
time he attained his majority. It, however, forms no part
of our present object to inquire into the history, the pride,
the weakness, or the misconduct of this unfortunate monarch.
Whatever may have been his faults, whether of indolence or
love of parade, he had much sagacity and penetration. And,
if he has been described by some as vindictive and weak, it
must be recollected that he was also generous and munificent.
"When the political events of the entire reign are reviewed, it
will be found that after the confusion and impoverishment
that preceded it, after the discontentment and insurrections
he already found distracting the kingdom, he did not indi-
vidually attempt to govern it by unconstitutional means. The
usurpers of power during this reign were the barons, rather
than the crown, and he suffered from a reasonable resistance
to this interference with the regulation of his private affairs,
as well as from the efforts of his council to become inde-
pendent of Parliament. Moreover, when we consider the
great wars Richard was engaged in with France and Scot-
land, he was the first of our English kings who did not draw-
support for conducting them by the enforcement of arbitrary
aids or oppressive subsidies. Considering Richard II. reigned
for nearly twenty-two years, there is no period in our annals
of the like duration so barren of historical interest. The
agrarian outbreak under Wat Tyler, when he vindicated his
character from the imputation of cowardice, and the rise of
Lollardy unopposed by royal persecution, are in fact the only
two leading points to which attention is commonly directed.
13U THE PARLIAMENTS OF CAMBRIDGE.
Yet we must not forget to whatsoever cause it may be owing,
whether to the supine and luxurious habits of Richard, to
the ambitious views of his uncle, John of Gaunt, with whom
it was an object to diminish the authority and influence of
the king, or whether to the rising Bpirit of liberty amongst
the people, and to a greater division of the Legislative power,
the constituent parts of this became very clearly defined and
established during the reign.
In elucidation, it is necessary briefly to advert to the
actual state of the three branches of the constitution at this
particular time. The right of hereditary succession to the
crown has been fully admitted as a fundamental principle,
though from various circumstances four monarchs, Rufus,
Henry I.. Stephen, and John had attained it. who were them-
3 out of the direct line of succession. Though the
genera] voice of the kingdom assented to a deviation in these
particular instances, it was held then as it has been main-
tained ever since, that the principle was inviolable. The
Language, in short, of all the official documents proclaimed
Richard II. as king by hereditary right, whilst the settle-
ment of th'- crown upon Henry 1 Y., his successor, was
Limited, and by this expression the act was made the more
remarkable, Limited t<> this kin/ -t son. Just as the
Parliament of the first of Richard III., and again the first of
Henry VII., entailed the succession to their respective issue
and to their heirs.
And I-, extend tin' proof still farther, the deposition of
Henry VI., of Richard himself, and of .lames II., show
distinctly, more especially in the two former cases, how
opposed the English nation was to convert its emergencies
under these two monarchs into a standing law. Whenever
it was deemed accessary, these deviations from the direct
Line oi iion were permitted, but the ancient founda-
svere never destroyed. Ii is, however, needless ti
more on a vital principle of the English constitution thai has
o abh discussed by Mr. Fox in his speeches on the
I; acy Hill, as well as by Burke in his Reflections on the
French Revolution. And. indeed, a v^ery casual examination
of our history will prove that it acknowledges no a tiom mere
fully, that it holds no attribute of the sovereign to be more
important, nor that any should he mere jealously defended
from penl.
THE PARLIAMENTS OF CAMBRIDGE. 131
We next observe the crown during this reign freely exer-
cising its right of creating peers by patent, of confirming the
representation to counties, cities, and boroughs, and ratifying
to the people the law of usage. It will be at once perceived
that all these things show a very advanced state of the
English constitution.
The official functions of the barons underwent no change.
They continued, as in the previous reign, to form an integral
portion of the legislature. But their liberties became now
considerably extended, from the concession made by Parlia-
ment in the eleventh year of Richard II., that all matters
moved in that assembly concerning them should be discussed
in Parliament, and not settled by the common or civil law of
the land. In this enactment we see the origin of that privi-
lege which has been since assumed by both branches of the
legislature, much abused on several occasions by the lower
house, and presenting there, what is a dangerous anomaly, if
it has not grown into an infringement, or a violation of the
law that ought to regulate the equal administration of justice.
Numerous instances could be readily adduced to show that
when the privileges of Parliament itself are concerned, those
who are guardians for the people to preserve their just
rights, have not always, especially where individuals and
parties are interested, manifested such impartial conduct as
their constituencies might properly expect. Witness the
events of Richard IP's reign when it is apparent that the
faction that was uppermost invariably directed the proceed-
ings. Nor are instances wanting, if this were a fit occasion
to produce them, which would show how in very recent
days the peers exercising their judicial functions without
reproach or inconsistency, the commons have usurped power,
which some of our ablest constitutional writers, men who
have filled the very highest judicial offices in the state,
have declared to be untenable and illegal, as precluding the
royal prerogative of mercy, and according to a decision in
the House of Lords in 1701, being subversive of the rights
of Englishmen.
The changes experienced in the representation of the
people during Richard IP's reign were so trifling that they
require no observation. It is, however, worthy of a passing
note, that in his first Parliament the commons prayed
him to grant them an annual meeting of Parliament, in a
13:2 THE PABLIAMBNTS OF CAMBRIDGE.
convenient place, a very different object to tlie one modern
agitators have sought for under annual elections. But to
this request the advisers of the king replied, let the statutes
be kept as to the meeting of Parliament, and as to the place
the long will do his will. Whatever differences may have
existed betwixt the king and his council, the power of deter-
mining the place of meeting seems invariably to have rested
with the monarch.
Having qow stated, as succinctly as the subject admitted,
what were the changes and what was the actual state of our
constitution during the government of Richard II., we come
prepared to review the acts of that particular Parliament
which the king, through virtue of the right just alluded to,
summoned in the twelfth year of his reign to meet him at
Cambridge.
When what was termed the Merciless Parliament met in
the previous year, the nation was in a great excitement, and
it may he presumed that the chief reason for Richard fixing
upon Cambridge as the seat of his councils, was that he was
here in greater security than in London, for no business
relating to the university was transacted on the occasion.
The king was in his twenty-second year when he ordered
the writs issued for this Parliament. Like the other trans-
actions <■(' the reign, there is little light to be thrown upon
its proceedings. There is hut one Liberate RoH'of the period,
and that one docs not contain anything relating to this con-
vention. The Clause Roll has preserved the writs of sum-
monses, and from this we learn that the Archbishop of
Canterbury, the keeper of the spiritualities of York, eighteen
bishops, twenty-three abbots, including those of Ramsey,
Croyland, Thorney, and Bury, which shows thai they were
then important foundations, fifty three barons, other judicial
functionaries, besides knights from the different counties,
and burgi »m Bristol and London, were summoned to
attend according to the usual form. The Parliament sat
from the 9th of September to the 17th of October, during
which time the king watched the proceedings on the spot.
A earch among I the public records has failed to produce
any now evidence of historical importance touching the
Bubject before us, so that we must be satisfied with simply
knowing that this great council of the realm enacted a
Btatute thai till remains unrepealed, the original ot which is
THE PARLIAMENTS OF CAMBRIDGE. 133
preserved amongst the rolls of Parliament in the Tosver ;
and the copy printed amongst the statutes of the realm will
supply us with the means of inquiry into its provisions.
The Statute of Cambridge contains sixteen clauses. It
will be necessary to notice three of them.
The second provides for the impartial and incorrupt ap-
pointment of the various officers or ministers of the king,
and that none of them should receive their situation through
gift, favour, or affection, but that all such should be made
of the best and most lawful men. The third relates to
enactments previously made concerning labourers and arti-
ficers, confirming those regulations that were unrepealed,
and ordaining that no servant or labourer should depart out
of the district where he dwelt without bearing a letter
patent, stating the reason, and if detected he should be put
in the stocks. The fourth clause regulates the wages of
© ©
servants in husbandry. This seems to have been an ampli-
fication of the statute passed with this express object,
called the Statute of Labourers, in the 23rd year of the
preceding reign (1349). The same subject was considered
in several succeeding Acts of Parliament down to the 1 1 th
of Henry VII. (1496), when, as it is stated, for many reason-
able considerations and causes, and for the common wealth
of the poorer artificers as free masons, carpenters, and other
persons necessary and convenient for the reparations and
buildings, and other labourers and servants of husbandry,
those regulations should be void and of none effect. This arti-
ficial system of fixing by any legislative enactment the value
of labour, even in days when our industrial sources of wealth
were most imperfectly developed, was found to be utterly
impracticable. It was just as inapplicable to the true
interests of employers, as the converse has proved to be to
the artisans and labourers who in their turn, by the destruc-
tion of machinery, by agrarian insurrections such as those
under Wat Tyler, and by lawless multitudes assembling
under a fanatic like Sir Thomas Courtnay, or by strikes, by
trades unions, or by menacing combinations, of which there
are unhappily several recent and calamitous instances, have
inflicted a far greater amount of misery on themselves,
than of inconvenience and loss upon their employers. But
the various evils arising from monopoly and dictation are
better suited for the speculations of the political economist, or
vol. xii. r
134 THE PARLIAMENTS OF CAMBRIDGE.
of the active b( nevolence of philanthropy, or of education, than
for a dry enquiry like the one now engaging the attention.
We must, however, all feel impressed by reflecting upon the
social mischiefs that have so often disturbed the relation
subsisting betwixt two classes in the community, and lament
that with the advancement of civilisation and moral know-
Ledge, the fallacious doctrines of communism are not in our
d.-i\ - quite exploded.
There I- but another clause in this Statute of Cambridge
that seems to call for remark. The thirteenth may truly he
considered as the earliest notice taken by the legislature of
the health of towns. It is a sewage, nuisance, or sanitary
clause, prohibiting, under a penalty of 20/., any person
from casting annoyances into the ditches, rivers, or waters,
or laying them nigh divers cities, boroughs, and towns of
the realm, by which the air is greatly corrupt and infect,
and maladies and other intolerable diseases do daily happen.
This at tots, contrary to what has often been asserted, that
England was behind other countries in Europe in the pro-
visions made for the public health.
Before the Parliament was dissolved, it granted a fifteenth
and a tenth, which was perhaps the chief reason for its
being called together. It is singular that not any petitions
should have heeti ] dvseiitei I to it — at least none have been
preserved. And there is but one illustration that has, after
a diligent search, presented itself for notice, namely, thai
the Issue Roll of the Exchequer gives the expenses (1/. As.
id.) of two individuals for conveying charters, rolls, and
other memorials to the Parliament: another also received
l'»v. \ii. which the king ordered to be paid him for red wax
lor the office of his Privy Seal, bought from divers persons
at London, Oxford, and Northampton, when the Parliament
was held at Cambrid
1 Bxitaa ill- tormina S. Michaelia Anno aaornin pro riagio prcedicto. Per con-
I . ■ Dii Luna xix°# die Octobria, bmi um Phi mrarii ei camerariorum,
Thorn i I •' twold Thnmoe Reatwold uni \>
num. i:ii'. i um de Eteccuta Scaccarii mi i Thomaa Monk. Thomco Monk nuncio
CiimIi lif : nun > i •! nn 0 per iluini mini I'm s'liiraiimn de
aliiamemorandia de Scaocario, et ad eadem Cantebngia aaque London rum literia
i ! ■ . i in Parliamento dicti dotnini Tin nurariidirectiaJohanni
! m lento, demonatranda, pro Innocent clerico pro certia necociisoffl
itioni in eiadem rotulia e( ciiim dicti 'l ini. Tlieaaurani conoer
menuira In deuariia sibi nentibu . 't redeunti rorau I miabr,
prtediciani i" con i , icii Thomaj
, ac pro location* uuuorum Reetwold In denariia ibi
THE PARLIAMENTS OF CAMBRIDGE. 135
A second Parliament was summoned to meet in Cambridge
in the 15th of Henry VI. (1437), but the place of meeting
was afterwards changed to Westminster.
And a third Parliament was summoned here in the 25th
of the same reign (1447), but by a re-issue of the writs it
was removed to Bury St. Edmunds, and held in the Refectory
of the Monastery. The town first sent representatives 2Gth
of Edward I. (1298). The university not until the reign of
James I.
After the great constitutional enquiry we have been con-
sidering, it is readily admitted that the two preceding
entries on the Issue Roll are in themselves very trifling illus-
trations of the subject. But they possess a certain degree of
value, as serving to convey a definite idea of the exact mode
of conducting the common routine of official business — whilst
such minute entries as these bring out the early passages of
national history with a distinctness that is very encouraging
to those who are actuated by a zeal for research, as well as
being in themselves highly characteristic of the accuracy
with which all the public acts of the Crown were recorded.
It has often been thrown out, as an undeserved aspersion
upon diligent and laborious writers of the history of ancient
times, that they unduly estimate these little evidences, but
they form in reality some of those strong links that serve to
strengthen and hold together the entire chain of historical
fact — and whoever presumes to pursue his researches, whether
they lie in the wide field of history, or the more uncertain
labyrinth of archaeology, without paying a conscientious
respect to the various little details that bear upon them,
will obtain but a very confused and superficial notion of the
object of his enquiry. Those who have trained themselves
in this precise method of investigation, who draw their
information from pure, original and authentic sources, who
consult unpublished records, and decipher the nearly illegible
characters in which they are written, and who, therefore,
produce some fresh reality, quickly find that such a system
brings with it its own recompense. The vivid colours in
manna proprias pro vadiis et cxpensis suis, rubra empta de diversis personis videlicet
xii- iii'1, tain apud London, OxOD. Nniht., quam
Robertus Chaundler. — Eidein Roberto spud Cantebr., tempore ultimi Parliaiuenii
in denariis silii liberatis per manua pro- Regis ibidem tenti, pro officio privati Si-
prias in peraolutiouem, ws- iii1 , quos do- gillS Regis proedicti, xv8- iiid'
minus rex sibi liberari inaudavit pro cera
136 THE PARLIAlfENTS OF CAMBRIDGE.
which they behold displayed what was hitherto uncertain
and dim is beyond doubt a pleasing vision, but it is not si
false or unsubstantial creation, since it foreshadows the con-
viction, thai they arc breaking up new ground, and sowing
those Beeds of truth which will effectually dispel the doubts;
as well as lighten the toil, of future labourers.
CHARLES HENRY HARTSHORNE.
THE "HALES" AT THE NEW TEMPLE ON THE OCCASION
OF THE KNIGHTING OF PEINCE EDWARD.
A document relating to this subject, which has been
recently discovered among the records preserved in the
Tower,1 has been brought under the notice of the Institute,
through the kindness of Mr. William Twopeny. It had been
communicated to him by Mr. William Basevi Sanders of the
Record Office there, whose researches have at various times
been productive of information connected with the details of
medieval architecture. There is no date, but from the
hand-writing the record has been supposed to belong to the
early part of the reign of Edward II. It is a petition to
the king and council in the following terms : —
" Pleise a nostre seigneur le Roi, pur lamour de Dieu, et pur
oevre de charite, comandier a son Tresorer paier a Wautier le
Marberer de Londres et a Johanna sa femme viij livres, pur
merin pur les Hales, faites au Noef Temple ou le dit nostre
seigneur le Roi fust fait chivaler."
Indorsed is the following answer to the application : —
" Aconte la ou devera, et en soit le Roi certifie."
Brief as it is, this document involves some particulars of
historical interest. It may be thus rendered into English: —
May it please our lord the king, for the love of God, and as
an act of charity, to command his treasurer to pay to Walter
the Marbler of London and Joan his wife 8/. for timber for
the booths made at the New Temple where (or possibly
when) our said lord the king was made a knight. The
answer indorsed is, — Account for (i. e., pay) it where due,
and certify the king thereof.
Though undated, the contents show that the inference
from the hand-writing is in all probability correct.
The New Temple, it is, perhaps, needless to mention, was
on the site of the present Temple ; the Old Temple having
been near the site of Southampton Buildings, Chancery
1 Petitions to the King in Council. M., 264.
138 Tin: "hales" at the new temple
Lane. The Templars took possession of their new house as
early as the latter part of the twelfth century.
The first inquiry suggested by the petition is, on what
occasion was it that timber had been furnished for erecting
booths in the New Temple % From Rymer2 and M. West-
minster3 we may, I think, collect a satisfactory answer. It
appears that in April, 1306, King Edward 1.. preparatory to
his last expedition into Scotland, was minded to knight his
eldest son and heir-apparent, Prince Edward, who had
attained the age of twenty-two years without having had
that distinction conferred upon him. The king, therefore,
summoned all those young noblemen and gentlemen, who
were hound by their Ires to take such service, and had not
been knighted, to attend at Westminster on the feast of
Pentecost next, and there receive knighthood, promising
them rich military garments out of his own wardrobe.
At the time appointed, there assembled 300 young men,
-uih of earls, barons, and knights, and because the king's
Palace at Westminster was not largo enough to lodge them
and their attendants, recourse wras had to tin' New Temple.
where tin' apple-trees in the gardens having been cut down,
and some walls removed, booths and tents (papiliones et
tentoria) were erected I'm- their accommodation. The prince
and the \ oung men of noblest birth kept their \ igils at West-
minster, wheiv. as the ehroiiieler tells us, there was such a
Qoise of trumpets and pipes, ami such a clamour of voices,
that the monks could not hear themselves from one side o{'
the choir to the other. The other candidates, most likely
the more numerous party, kept their vigils in the Temple.
The next day the king knighted the prince in the Palace at
Westminster, having given him the duchy of A.quitaine to
support his new dignity. The prince then went to the A.bbey
Church, thai ho might confer the like honour on his com-
panions, and so great was the c< acourse of people before the
principal altar, that two knights were killed, and many fainted,
though each candidate was attended by three knights to con-
duct hi in through the ceremony and take care of him. It should
i i he pressure was Buch that in the church the way had to
I" kepi by war chargers, (dea trarios bellicosos), and the prince
could nol gird his companions with the military bell except.
• H\ > , i.. .^ . dil ii.p] Bub anno 1806,
ON THE KNIGHTING OF PRINCE EDWARD. 139
upon the great altar {super magnum altar e) . Another chronicler,
quoted by Selden,4 says, that the prince knighted sixty of the
candidates, and kept a feast at the New Temple. The rest pro-
bably received the honour from other distinguished knights.
The last-mentioned chronicle states that 400 were knighted
on the occasion ; but this may be the error of a transcriber,
as such a mistake, the addition of a c, might be easily
made.5
The next inquiry is, why the petitioners should have asked
for the money as an act of charity. It does not appear
difficult to conjecture the cause, when we call to mind the
events of the time. The next year, while the timber was
evidently unpaid for, the Templars, on whose responsibility it
should seem to have been furnished, fell into disgrace ; and
in France all who could be found were arrested in October,
1307. Edward II., who had in the meantime succeeded his
father, was unwilling to credit the charges made against
them, or to join in the persecution of the order, until he
received a letter from the Pope urging him to do so. He
then issued writs for the general arrest of those in England,
which was effected on the 11th of January, 1308. He seized
their property, and gave portions of it to his friends ; but
the Pope, having required it to be transferred to the Hospi-
tallers, after some disputes, parts of it having been claimed
by private individuals on various grounds, the king gave it
up to the Hospitallers in November, 1313, and it was after-
wards confirmed to them by an act of Parliament in 1324.
That order took it subject to the Templars' debts0; and,
therefore, under these circumstances, we may reasonably
conclude the petition was presented between 1307 and 1313,
while the property was in the king's hands, and Walter and
his wife were without remedy for the debt.
If it be thought remarkable that a marbler should have
furnished timber (for there is no doubt of this being the
meaning of the word merin, which, in the form of merrain,
4 Titles of Honour, Tart II. ch. V. s. knighted, it appears that in November in
xxxiv. [i. 77.V the same year others, who probably were
■' W. Hemingford, with apparent pre- not able to attend on that occasion, were
cision, states the number knighted to hove summoned to the king at Carlisle to re-
been 297 ; but Ashmole (pp.37 — 8>, tul- ceive knighthood on the Feast of the Puri-
verting to the discrepancy in the text, si ys, fication (Feb. 2) 1307. Rymer's Feeder*
it was only '267, ami lie gives their (new edit.), i. p. 1004.
names from the Wardrobe accounts. ° Rot. Purl. 11., p. 25 b.
Notwithstanding the great Dumber then
UO THE "HALES AT THE NEW TEMPLE.
marrian, merrein, and man-in is found in Lacombe, and as
merrein, and merrien in Glossairc de l'ancien droit Francais,
by Dupin and Laboulaye), I would suggest that the timber
was not furnished by him. This is to be inferred from the
wife being joined in the petition, which would hardly have
been the case had the money been owing to the husband.
It is far more likely that the debt was due to the wife„as the
widow or daughter and representative of the person who
furnished the timber, and that she had in the meanwhile
married Walter the marbler ; for then the junction of them
both in the petition would have been quite regular.
The word "halles" in modern French, for buildings in
which markets are held, is well known. It was formerly
spelt "hales ;" such places were probably so called from the
kind of structures in which the business was transacted. It
was not very uncommon in this country as meaning booths
or the like. In the Promptorium Parvulorum we have " Hale or
tente, — papilio, scena," and several examples, diversely spelt,
of the word in that sense are given there in a note by Mr.
Way.
The class of documents among which the petition was
found has not yet been completely indexed. Mr. W. B.
Sanders was engaged in making a calendar of them when he
discovered it. Many of them, he says, are printed with the
Parliament Rolls. He has since been so obliging as to
inform us, that there is a second petition from Walter and
Joan nearly word for wordlike the first, from which we may
infer that they experienced some difficulty in getting their
money. The answer to the second application was, " Soit
baillee an Tresorer et en face ce qil verra qe seit a faire."
Edward's prodigality and the surveillance of the bishops and
barons, who had been appointed to see to the better ordering
of bis realm and household, may have been alike unfavour-
able to ih'' petitioners, notwithstanding the encouraging reply
to their first application.
w. s. w.
NORTON CHUECH, IN THE COUNTY OF DUEHAM.
" Here giveth Northman Earl unto Saint Cutlibert Edis-
cum, and all that thereunto serveth (hyreth), and one-
fourth of an acre at Foregenne.
" And I Ulfcytel, Osulf's son, give North tun by metes,
and with men, unto Saint Cutlibert, and all that thereunto
serveth, with sac and with soken, and any one who this per-
verts, may he be ashired from God's deed and from all
sanctuary."1
An Osulf was Earl of Northumberland about 952.
Escombe is in Durham, and in all probability the Norton
here mentioned is Norton, near Stockton, rather than Norton,
near Wath, in Yorkshire, which, with the neighbouring vills
of Hutton, Holme, and Holgrave, were granted by Bishop
Flambard to the family of Conyers.
At all events, Nortonshire 2 (as the records of Bishop Bek
call the parish) was a very early possession of the church of
Durham, cutting through the wapentake of Sadberge to the
Tees, and severing that district into two great portions.
From the eastern or coast portion, termed Hartness, Norton
was ashired by a strong natural boundary, a large morass,
through which the numerous branches of Blakiston Beck per-
colated. The adjoining parish was that of Billingham, which
had been granted to the church before the annexation of
Norton, but which was soon sundered by the violence of the
times, and formed the southernmost limit of a Pagan usurpa-
tion of the territory of Hartness. That the morass was of
considerable importance cannot be doubted, and we can well
understand how it came to pass that the fields of Norton,
which slope towards it, are full of human remains. We can
also readily believe that the peculiar circumstances of the
place required the erection of a church at a very early
period.
1 Liber Vitte Dun., 43 b. assemblage of places ashired or cut off, or
- A shire, in the north, was any boundeivd out from the adjacent country.
VOL. XII. U
I I'-' KOKTOJN CHURCH, COUNTY DURHAM.
Billinghamshire was not restored to the church till the
reign of the Conqueror, and then it was given to the
convent, and no< to the see. Consequently, it continued to
1"' under a jurisdiction different to that of Norton. The
latter place emerges from obscurity in 1082, when Blaiehe-
Btun (Blakiston), one of its chief estates, was granted to the
newly-placed monks of Durham, and Bishop de Karilepho,
who made the grant, disposed of the ejected secular priests
of the cathedra] by distributing; them to the churches of
Auckland. Darlington, and Norton, at all which places,
therefore, ecclesiastical edifices must have been existing.
It dues not appear whether the expelled seculars were
followed by a regular succession of prebendaries or not ; but
in l-_7 we find that Norton Church was collegiate, and so
it continued, consisting of eight portionists or prebendaries,
of one of whom. Robert Brerely, there is an effigy of brass in
the church of Billingham, where he was vicar. The preben-
daries had the great tithes, and had to uphold the choir of
the church, a duty which they scandalously neglected. In
1410, on Vicar Bromley's complaint. Cardinal Langley
ordered them to repair the chancel. In L496, Bishop Fox
sequestered their incomes for the purpose of rebuilding it.
assigning as a reason that "the canons, prebendaries of the
same church, had permitted the chancel of the said collegiate
church, which had been decently and richly constructed for
the praise and worship of God, to fall into ruin and desola-
t ion, as well in the roof, main walls, and windows, as in divers
other respects." In L579 the chancel was again " in decay."
Bishop Skirlaw, in L406, gave to the Church of Norton a
set of vestments of white satin, embroidered with little golden
leopards, edged with green stuff termed <-:nd (cardd) ; con-
taining a chasuble with narrow golden orfreys, two tunics,
ami a cope with orfreys of red velvet, embroidered with
squared quarterings (cum garteriis quadratis), three albs and
three amices, two stoles, and three maniples.
Tic- College of Norton shared the fate of its peers. In
1553, pensions of 5/. each were paid to Lancelot Thwaites,
minister, and Bix other persons. Probably one oi the
eighl portionists had died. Thwaites does nol occur in the
lisl of vicars, Gilpin, the A postle <»!' the North, having suc-
■ I. in 1554, mi i he deprivation of John Rudd, who had
been vicar from L539. The vicar has a small copyhold
NORTON CHURCH, COUNTY DURHAM. 14-3
manor. The remainder of the township of Norton is prin-
cipally copyhold or leasehold under the bishop. The manor
of Blakiston forms the chief exception. The remainder of
the old parish of Norton has, since Queen Anne's days, com-
posed the parliamentary parish of Stockton-upon-Tees. At
this place a chapel had been founded in 1237. It was
dedicated to St. Thomas the Martyr. The parishioners of
Stockton, Preston, and Hartburne, were advantaged b}' it,
but had to visit their mother-church on the Feast of the
Assumption, and pay the vicar 50s. They offered one
penny with the consecrated bread every Lord's day, except
when they attended Norton Church. "The chapell of
Stoketon standeth a myle [nearly two modern miles] from the
parishe churche, not only for the easement of the inhabitants
of the towne of Stoketon, but also for the easement of divers
parishioners of sundrie other parishes in the winter tyme,
when for rayny fludes they can come none wher els to here
devyne service." The rainy floods were caused by a stream
and morass between Norton and Stockton, very similar to
that between Norton and Billingham, and they have not
ceased. Yet, however necessary the chapel was, it did not
escape the harpies of Edward VI. 's time, and before the esta-
blishment of the new parish, the inhabitants of Stockton
paid 3/. per annum, commonly called the Priest's own, to the
vicar of Norton, who maintained a curate at his own cost to
save the chapelry, the possessions of which were in lay hands.
The old chapel stood a little south of the present large brick
church, which was opened in 1712.
The village of Norton occupies an elevated promontory,
surrounded on three sides by the marshes already noticed.
It has been likened to a frying-pan. The pan terminating
the long town street (its handle), is composed of two squares
of green common, divided by a slight eminence, on which,
according to a not uncommon arrangement, stand the village
forge and bakehouse.3 The western square has been thrown
out of shape by an enclosure before the church, which stands
at its north-west corner ; and here, according to tradition,
(which names a pond in the square " Cross Dyke,") was held
the market of Norton, which was granted to Bishop Flam-
bard by Henry I., to be held on Sunday, a day not dis-
agreeable to the people in early times. A Friday market at
3 The bakehouse belongs to the grammar-school.
1 1 t NOBTOM CHUBCH, COUNTT. DURHAM.
Sedgefield was, in the XlVth century, quite neglected, and
the chapmen exposed their merchandise and transacted their
business in the church porch on Sundays.
The collegiate church consists of a central town-, and the
usual four Limbs of across, of which the nave only is furnished
with aisles, and these in modern times have Itch widened so
as to be flush with the transepts. The names of the tran-
septs or porches (porch being a common expression in the
north for private chapels or chantries in churches, of various
descriptions) arc gathered from an allotment of seats in 1635.
The parishioners were to be placed in decent manner accord-
in- to their ranks, degrees, and qualities. "Mr. Davison, of
Blaixton, shall sitt in the Beate next unto the chancel] one
the north side, where he usith to sitt. and for his servants
and tenants to sitt in the north porch, which is called by the
name of Blaixton Porch.' As for men servants which can-
not read, we appoynt them for to sitt in the south porch,
called by the name of ' Pettie Porch;' and as for women
servants, for to be placed to kneele down in the midle ally.
ncrc the font." The south porch is usually called " Pity
Porch," ami Mr. Hutchinson (in his History of Durham) and
the parishioners consider that an altar of image of our Lady
of Pity stood there. The base of a wooden screen separates
Blakiston Porch from the remainder of the church, and that
porch is full of memorials of the later lords of Blakiston.
The consequences of Bishop Fox's sequestration are very
visible in the chancel ; the east window, two south windows.
(the westernmosl one being, as usual, lower than the other.)
and the priest's door, being all of bis period. The masonry
near tin' latter object is much disturbed, and some suppose
that :i fine early English recess in the interior, a little to the
of it, was the original doorway. It seems to me to be
far too rich lor the interior ofa doorway, and much loo per
bo be the exterior of it turned round, and it has all the
appearance of being a single sedile. The old font having
been removed to the dear's gardens, a porcelain basin was
inserted in this arch, and was used lor baptisms until it \\.-i^
lately supplanted by a handsome stone fonl in the appro-
priate place in the nave. Brewster calls the recess ";i niche
<.i ancient piscina," and a piscina might have been Inserted
in it during Pox's alterations, bu< the wall sounds hollow
and l-i' u ter lived before these matters were
i rcatcd w it h much preci ion .
NORTON CHURCH, IN Till; COUNTS OF DURHAM.
i Window in the Tower, interior view.
i arch,looL
L46 NOETON CHURCH, COUNTY DURHAM.
The cast end (save its window) and north side of the choir
are essentially Early English. The nave is Transitional
Norman, having pointed arches on plain cylindrical piers of
Bishop Pudsey's time, and I strongly suspect that this prelate
placed the college on the foundation we find it, in the same
manner as he founded the College of Darlington. A doorway
from the south aisle into Pity Porch, and the east window of
the latter are also transitional.
Attention must now be called to the tower and transepts,
which have considerable interest. It will be observed, from
the appearance of the tower arches, that the vestigia of an
earlier chancel are visible. (See woodcut.) This chancel was of
the same width as the transepts and nave, and if Transitional
Norman, could not need replacing by an Early English suc-
cessor. It will further be seen that while the transepts open
by two very rude, narrow arches, without mouldings, unless
their projecting edge can be so called, the nave and choir open
by two arches of their utmost width, with transitional
mouldings.4 The obvious conclusion is that, on the building
of the nave, the constructors wishing to obtain a complete
transitional vista to the east, remodelled two arches of the
tower, and this conclusion seems to be rendered certain by the
appearance of the next story of the steeple, where the rude
angular-headed windows, one of which is here represented, are
found above both classes of arch. The width of the base of the
triangle is not so great .-is thai <>f the lower portion of these
windows, and hence they have a shouldered appearance.
The nex1 story is lighted by mere slits, rather singularly
disposed by two on each side, some of them being very near
to the angles of the In hiding. 1 1 ere the ancient tower ended.
The superstructure is Perpendicular, and of much thinner
masonry than the walls beneath, the surplus thickness of the
latter serving as a suppoii for the great beams of the bell-
frames.8 The change of masonry is also detected on the
rior by a Blight hitch in i be outline.
The north transept or Blakiston Porch is composed of very
small square Stones, with angles of long and short work.
A Th archM are out " \ ». Domini. 1613. J C." 3 "Veni'e.
ii pewi i wing the capital* bi Exvltemva Domino. S. S. 1664 R. D.
.) i '." I lei wi • d i &ch word » shield id
• i arms, a chevron between three belli
n ii Id l" lis li"in my impaling thn t ...
robbings I u \ l> 1607 R. v." !
NORTON CHURCH, COUNTY DURHAM.
147
which also appeared in the south transept before it was
refaced. The tower is roughcast.
A Norman church would scarcely want rebuilding in Pud-
sey's time, and I have no doubt that in the tower and tran-
septs of Norton we see
the remains of the Saxon G lzrrrr
church which received the
expelled seculars of Dur-
ham in 1085. The choir,
it may be noticed, is more
than two-thirds the length
of the nave, wdiich only
comprises three arches.
Perhaps all the arms of
the Saxon church wrere
rather short and equal.
In consequence of the
arches on the north and
south being narrower
than the transepts them-
selves, the cllUrcll, WTlien in Original outline of the interior of Norton Church.
. . , . , .A. Tower. B. Original Nave. C. Original Choir.
ltS Original Simple CrilCl- D. Blakiston Porch. E. Pettie Porch.
form shape, would assume
the common form, which appears in St. Cuthbert's Cross, the
Hartlepool tomb-
stones inscribed
with Runes, on
a fragment from
Jarrow, on the
edge of a Roman
slab, now in the
Castle of New-
castle, and other
instances. A base of a cross noticed in Brand's account of
Jarrow probably belonged to the design engraved, wdiich, as
the slab has been laid flat in a wall, must have run up the wall.
After very careful examination, suggested by the position
of the triangular-headed windows, I cannot detect any change
of masonry in the gable of Blakiston Porch, and I am led
from this fact, and reference to Saxon MSS., to believe that,
like the Romans, the Saxons used roofs of very moderate
pitch. I am not unmindful that, in the later towers of Jarrow
Cross on the edge of a Roman slab from Jarrow.
1 1-
NORTOS CHUECH, ('"CNTV DURHAM.
and Darlington, there are a second set of tower arches
opening to the roofs, and forming a sort of rood-loft, and I
am not suit that the room above the -round story of Monk
Wearmouth Town- did not always open to the nave. But
the windows at Norton are not adapted to this purpose.
There is no newel stair to this tower. It is reached by a
stair in Pity Porch, from which a doorway opens under the
triangular-headed Lights.
in the Bouth-east corner of Blakiston Porch there lay for-
merly a fine monumental effigy, now removed to the south of
the altar. This effigy is engraved in Surtees' Durham. The
costume is almost precisely that of the effigy of Brian
Pitz Alan (who died 1301) in Bedale Church, and the very
design and workmanship of the two effigies are so similar
that one would incline to ascribe them to one hand.
The feet of the Blakiston effigy rest on a spirited group, con-
sisting of two animals (One of them certainly a lion, perhaps
the other so also) tearing one an-
other. A single figure sits with a
book at the knight's side. There
are two very remarkable circum-
stances about this effigy. First, the
shield borne on the arm is clearly a
"palimpsest," for its hearings could
only 1)0 borne by the descendants
of John Blakiston, who died in 1586.
There are. however, behind the
Canopy Over the knight's head, two
shields: — 1. An inescutcheon within a bordure, over all a
bend. 2. A cross moline. These heraldic bearings are
fashioned in a manner contemporaneous with the eiliev.
Of these coats, the cross moline Beems certainly to belong
to Fulthorpe, a family seated at Fulthorpe, in the ueighbour-
Lng parish of Grindon. The other suggests the feudal influence
of Baliol, and it is perhaps worth noticing that the diction-
of arm- give another coal to Fulthorpe, Argent, an
inescutcheon sable. It is remarkable thai these tinctures are
nlv those of the more usual coat of the cross,6 but also
f.f iIm- create of the Tanstal] in tin- text in oonaequen >f having
di played argent, repeatedly remarked a tendency in families
I "ii lip- ii '.r- 1 with H crosa moline i arry « iili others <>r similar bi annua
i .,ii t'< the coinci Ii o or tim
NORTON CHURCH, COUNTY DURHAM.
140
of all the six quarterings given in the visitation, for Ful-
thorpe of Fulthorpe and Tnnstall, (Bland, Burgh of Burgh,
near Catterick, and Booth, are amongst them,) and even
of another class of coats ascribed to the name of Fulthorpe,
in which a lion and annulets seme or in orle are variously
disposed.7 And here, rather in coincidence
than in connection, comes in the second ob-
servable feature of the Norton effigy, which
was hidden from Mr. Surtees' draughtsman.
It is a mark on the bevel of the monument
near the base of the shield, an I and three links or annulets
interlaced. Is this an early example of a
badge, or of a sculptor's mark ? I am at
present disposed to think that it is the
artist's device, because, on the base of a
small image8 found at St. Helen's Chapel,
Hartlepool, we have the remains, as it would
seem, of the same mark, the links not quite
of the annulet form. One might suppose
the sculptor to have been called John
Cheyne, or by some synonymous appena-Fl^rpeln\wie1t"elei
tion;9 perhaps Locke, since the same device,
with three oak trees, formed the punning coat of the Lock-
woods of Newcastle, quartered by Anderson of Haswell
Grange. Can it be the local name, found (in the genitive 1)
in Lucasland mentioned in Hatfield's Survey % (see the note
infra.) All the modern families of Lucas bear six annulets,
and that name may be merely Luke, Latinised, or in the
genitive case, as Jones, for John or Johannes.
Did the Norton effigy really represent a member of the
family called Blakiston 1 I apprehend that it did not.
The manor of Blakiston was granted by Bishop Karilepho
to the monks. Bishop Flambard reft it away and granted it
" "Norton. Rogerus Fulthorp miles
tenet duo messuagia et una carueata
terrse vocata Lucasland." Hatfield? s Sur-
vey. ''Lucas (Durham); or, a tes-i be-
tween 6 annidtts sable." Gen. Armory.
8 The upper tunic of the larger figure,
and the dress of the smaller one, are
painted with vermilion ; the larger figure
mav have represented a patron saint ; the
workmanship is similar to that of the
Norton and Bedale effigies.
9 Tremayle has also been suggested, a
name occurring in the western counties.
VOL. XII.
Any indication of the name or device of
the artist is rarely found in sepulchral
memorials. Mr. Waller has noticed a
remarkable example at Westley Water-
less, Cambridgeshire, in his " Sepulchral
Bi asses." In Hefner's '• Costume du
moyen age Chretien," a representation is
given of the effigy of George von Secken-
dorf, who died in 1444. On one of the
lappets of the skirt which falls under his
taces, the s-eulptor has introduced an
escutcheon and monogram, doubtless his
personal device or mark.
150 NORTON CHURCH, COUNTY DURHAM.
to his nephew ; but in his dying hour the sting of conscience
Bmote him, and, borne to the altar of his cathedral, he offered
his golden ring upon it in testimony of restitution. The
nephew's rights passed away with his uncle's repentance, and
the strong powers the king gave"tha1 he might no more
be afflicted with the clamour of the monks/3 His descendants
had Blakiston a little longer by acknowledging the supe-
riority of the convent ; but, in the Xlllth century we find
in the manor a line of knightly owners, who sprung from Old
Park, on the Wear, and bore the name of their birth-place.
Geoffrey de Park, of Blakiston, was at the battleof Lewes
in 1264, and Richard Park was lord in 1323. A new family
was, however, nursing in the manor, whose members con-
trive.1 to tear field after field, and finally the manor itself,
from their lords. In 1320, John de Blaykeston was chaplain
of the chantry, which the Parks founded in their chapel at
Blakiston. Before 1341, Roger, the cook of Blakiston, had
obtained a lease of property, which in that year Richard-
Fitz-Richard Park sold him in fee. Hugh de Blakeston
occurs at the same time, and in 1349 his son acquired the
manor.
We have already seen thai the effigy corresponds with
that of Brian Fitz Alan, who died in 1301. Suppose, for
the sake of argument, that it was erected in readiness some
years before the death of the person represented, or thai
when he died an old man he still wore old-fashioned armour,
we may stretch twenty years forward, and still be a quarter
of a century from the earliesl Blakistons of any repute or.
ownership. In all probability a Park intervened between
Geoffrey of 1264 and Richard of 1323, and might well own
the monument, [f this was do! the case, it may be assigned
to Richard; but, as the features are do! aged, it must, in
thai event, have been prepared in bis lifetime. The two
shields behind the head are both, perhaps, arms of alliance,
and if there was originally a coal on the large shield (and
Burely there must have been), the substitution of the arms <»l
I llaki iton was an acl of g real meanne
The Blakistons were uol ungrateful to the memory oi
I rue Coctu. They wore red cock- in their shields, and
mounted a cock for their crest. The heralds call these
birds dunghill-cocks. One would have though! thai black-
cocks wmiM have been ;i better allusion Roberl Blakiston,
NORTON CI1UKC1I, COUNTY DURHAM.
151
a priest, of Stainton in Cleveland, in 1522, had a brother
Robert. The latter made heraldry and ancestral remem-
brances tell for convenience, and called himself Robert Cok.
I do not know the boundaries of Blakiston Manor, but I
have sometimes thought that an early
stone cross (with the usual imitations
of gems (?) in the form of small round
protuberances), discovered, and still
standing near a farm-house1 in the
neighbourhood, had some reference to
them. What remains of the church-
yard cross of Norton, a plain square
shaft, chamfered at the angles, lies on
the wall next to a stile at the south-
west corner of the churchyard.
The vicarage house is modern. Its
predecessor, said to have been built by
VlCar SisSOll (1746-1773), is figured Cross at Colpitt's Farm, near Norton.
in Hutchinson's Durham. In 1415,
Vicar Robert Bromley leaves the residue of his estate to his
executors to spend, according to the bishop's directions, in
payment of his debts, at the amount of which he greatly
grieves, and the repair of his mansion at Norton, " ad quam
teneo ultra quam sufficere potero." The executors renounced
probate, but the bishop imposed administration on one of
them, a brother of the testator.
There was at Norton a " free chapel of Norton Hermi-
tage," part of the possessions of which seem to have been
appropriated to Stockton Chapel. These fell into lay hands ;
the remainder,2 with probably a portion of other chantry
lands, appear to have endowed the Grammar School of Nor-
ton, which stands in " the Hermitage Garth," and by leases
of the bishop (going back to 1600) owns two common ovens
or bakehouses, (one of them now waste, and situate at the
foot of the village, the other between the two greens as
before mentioned,) a toft or kilnstead where the Lady Kiln
formerly stood, the close called Kiln Close, or Lady Close,
and an acre with the same kiln formerly occupied. Besides
1 Thorney Close, if I view th»» maps
aright, 1 know the place better as the Out
Farm, or Colpitt's or Swalwell's Farm,
from the names of its recent occupiers.
'-' The subject is obscure, and perhaps
the evidences in Brewster's Stockton are
not very accurately given. It may how-
ever !"• gathered that the est iblishment
had been broken np before the general
il ssolution of such foundations.
152 NORTOM CHURCH, COUNTY DURHAM.
these old leaseholds, the school holds 20 poles of allotted
land behind the building (set out in 1(>'73), and sonic
escheats granted by the bishop in 1720. The school is due
east of the church, and probably occupies the site of the
chapel or hermitage, but its only ancient feature is part of
the west gable, containing a square mullioned window, and
even this, perhaps, is cotemporaneous with a piece of
Jacobean carved woodwork discovered in the house not
lone ago,
lii L501, there was in Norton parish a vicar, non-resident.
a " capellanus parochial" (the chaplain of Stockton ?) and
Sir Thomas Aplbie, chantry priest. The Ecclesiastical
Survey of 2 Edward VI. returns "the parishe church of
Norton havinge howseling people, 700." Besides Stockton
chapel it names the existence of a priest in the church
for term of years. lie had " stocke of money for iij. yeres
to come, at iij./. by the yere, geven by William Blaxston,
xij./.." and was evidently to officiate in Blakiston Porch for a
fewyears for the bouI of the last departed lord, William (who
died before I 533). The nature of the college seems to have
been remarkable. Under " the porcion of tythe within the
geyd parishe of Norton," we find eight incumbents, " having
the seyd tythes (yearly value, 48/.) porcioned emonge them
to study.' at the uiiiversitic;" Lancelot Thwayte, and the six
who received pensions (as before stated) being among them.
This statemenl agrees with a demise to Will. Crofton the
ime year of the tithe grain of Norton parish into eight
portions, divided by ancient custom for the exhibition of lay
iholare and otherwise, at the pleasure of the Bishop of
Durham. So Bishop Barne's " Clavia Ecclesiastica " mentions
the •"eiglite lave porcionarii sen pivheiida\ e\ I irione «SA and
wereol the Busshopeof Durham's giefte but are now dissolved
and in i be Quene a bandes.
In L580, the Bible in Norton Church was " not sufficient,
beinge old and torne, lackinge fower or five leaves together
in sundrye places of St. Paule's epistl
w. HYLTON Dl BR LONGSTAFFE, is. A.
KING'S COLLEGE CHAPEL WINDOWS, CAMBRIDGE.
" Lucem tuara da nobis, o Deus."
Uutlo of lite Company of Glaziers and Painters on Olast, Incorporated 1637.'
In hot climates the window proper — that is, the window
for admitting light — is, and ever was, a mere germ.
So manifestly is this the case, that it has led some of
our writers to reflect too hastily upon the ancients. Thus,
Mr. Hope blames them for " not admitting the light ; " and
Hallam wonders that " with all their wTisdom they over-
looked the window/'
But the truth is, the inhabitants of those countries
wrhere architecture was born, did not want windows in the
sunny climate of the south, and therefore instinctively kept
them small and subordinate. The windowr wras never a
feature of ancient architecture : Vitruvius does not name it,
thouarh he describes both the door and the ventilator."
O
Much the same may be said of the countries in question at
this day ; their window, if enlarged at all, is enlarged for
the purpose of admitting air rather than light, heavily tre-
lissed, and seldom occupied by glass.
Here, on the other hand, owing to the necessities of a
northern latitude, the window is at once large, serial, and
ornamental ; perhaps the most striking feature of our archi-
tecture.
It would be an instructive study to trace the history of
the window step by step, from the classical through the
Byzantine, to the Gothic styles, observing how it has con-
tinually increased in size and importance as a medium of
light, according to the isothermal line, or in other words,
according to the necessities of climate ; but our present
business lies rather with another element entering into the
1 Mai tland's London. Fol. ]>. 1"24<>. as " that part of the door which was hv-
- " Lumen bypsetri " which Wilkins psethral, or exposed to the air." Vitruv.
renders, "the space intended to !>•• left Wilkins, p. 81.
open to the air ; " and explains ill a note
L54 king's college chapel windows.
calculation here. Our Gothic windows would never have
grown to Buch dimensions but for the discovery, or at least
the increased use of glass.
While a northern latitude demanded light, it demanded
also a protection from the storm.
Our ancestors, therefore, so long as glass was unattain-
able, very wisely contented themselves with lofty and widely
splayed, but narrow windows.
It was only with the freer use of glass, first as a pro-
tection, and then as an ornament — a surface for the dis-
play of taste — that the window expanded, embracing mullion
after mullion, until, at length, in the Perpendicular period,
we have almost a wall of glass, as in the noble specimen
under consideration.3
But, besides this general ground of interest, as a piece of
fenestra] work, the windows of King's have some intrinsic
and peculiar claims to attention.
The pictures they contain are the original glazing of the
chapel; they are well preserved and intelligible; they are
extensive, varied, and complete, a thing very rare in this or
any other land. They belong to the last style of glass :
and since ;ill tin' preceding styles were executed upon the
same essential principles, these windows serve as a speci-
men of all.
They were painted ;it a period when the " Ars Vitraria "'
had attained its perfection, thai is to say, when it exhibited
grand and instructive designs without tampering with the
nature of anj of itfi materials.
And lastly, as this is the latest example of a style of
glass, ere the degeneracy or rather eclipse commenced, we
may take it to be the best in the eyes of the latesl professed
masters, who, in forming it. deliberately laid aside the older
and more conventional styles, for this free and pictorial one.
Such are some of the interesting points of the windows
before u
Li t tie enter a little more into detail on a lew of them.
Wnli regard to the history of these windows, we poe
1 Tlii I iv. ..f | i 'ill in force. ever the tendencj to an increase of win*
\ i. ed b\ the dow light, Whenever an old caaemenl
i. in i in-, was i.niv tempo hi our altered, il la onh to be
i developments of ar- enlarged, and to exchange >^ doll
y of civil and domestic and leads and saddli bam, for tin I
j than and cl< art ' »heel possible
KINGS COLLEGE CHAPEL WINDOWS. 155
some valuable documentary evidence, and something more
may be added from inspection.
HISTORY FROM DOCUMENTS.
Their immediate prototypes were the windows of Henry
VII. 's chapel, at the east end of Westminster Abbey. We
gather this from a contract, dated 1526, for completing the
general work of King's College Chapel, which, among other
things, provides that " the windows are to be set up with
good, clean, sure and perfect glass, and orient colours, and
imagery of the story of the old and new7 law, after the
form, manner, curiosity, and cleanness in every point of the
King's newr chapel in Westminster." Here is doubtless a
reference to the then existing windows of Henry VII. 's
chapel, Westminster Abbey.
These have long since perished, but there are sufficient
traces left to show that the clerestory lights (the lower win-
dows being too irregular in plane to admit of pictorial glass)
were once filled as here intimated. I allude, of course, to
the remains in the tracery ; but more particularly to a
figure still to be seen in the east window- of Henry VII. 's
chapel, vulgarly called Henry himself ; but which, by the
aid of a glass, resolves itself into the prophet Jeremiah,
under a canopy, holding a scroll, and altogether a match for
the " Messengers " in the chapel at Cambridge.
I mention this, not only because it is in direct genealo-
gical connection with our subject, but because it is a curious
instance of reflex light being thrown upon a collection of
glass, once important as a standard in the kingdom, but now
so far lost, that its very existence might otherwise be ques-
tioned.
But, to proceed : the foundation stone of this chapel was
laid under the Clare Hall tower, on St. James's day, 144G ;
but owing to the wars of the roses and other interruptions,
the shell was not completed until the 29th of July, 1515,
or the seventh year of Henry VIII.
The following year witnessed the commencement of the
glass.
This is noted in an indenture dated Feb. 15, 1516, made
between the executors of Henry VII. and the provost of
the college : —
15G king's college chapel windows.
The order is simply "to glaze all the windows of the said
chapel, with Buch images, stories, arms, badges, and other
devices, as it shall be devised by the said executors."
These words are sufficiently identical with those of the
will of Henry VII. relating to his chapel at Westminster.;4
and since only seven or eight years had elapsed, and the
executors were nearly the same, it is probable that they
hastened to employ the same hands on the glass of the
building just committed to their charm1.
This matter might be cleared up had we the first contract
for the college chapel glass, but this has unfortunately been
lost.
From the second contract, however, already named, (dating
April L526,) we learn that Barnard Flower was the original
contractor for the Cambridge windows ; and since he alone
is at first employed on so large an undertaking, it seems
altogether likely that he was the popular man of his day.
and possibly had been the painter of the Westminster win-
dows.
But be that as it may, we know that he was selected and
engaged to do sundry work here, in terms carefully rc-
counted in the second contract; that he had been for several
years at this work; and had just died, leaving a certain
amount of glass finished and ready to be put up. We shall
presently consider what this legacy was.
The cext contractors were Galyon Hone, Richard Bounde,
Thomas love, and dames Nicholson.
These men hind themselves to three things : first, to put
up what Barnard Mower. " lately deceased," had left ready
i" !"• put up ; secondly, to execute eighteen windows more
themselves, Including the easl and west windows ; and
thirdly, to furnish cartoons or vidimuses, .'is they were called,
for the four remaining windows of the chapel.
With the exception of the west window, never executed,1
and therefore reducing the number to seventeen, we may
1 "And the window! of our widen* • There is nothing to lead us to suppose
i «iili stoi , tint this window baa ev« been liilc-.l
, and cogni byus with stained visas. The tracery of :i
I, Mid in picture (pattern) de troyed window generally retains soma
delivered to the Prior oi St, Bartholo- patches of colour, bul there is not a par
le Smithfield, matter ol the tide to be observed here. Moreover, the
r said chapeL" This «iii in College records I understand, while noting
Richmond, March 81, loOfl llenrj thi injury dom to the We window
*" died on (In !] t ol tin nexl month m intion ol the west window at all.
king's college chapel WINDOWS. 157
suppose this engagement to have been faithfully carried
out.
The last contracting parties were Fraunces Williamson
and Symond Symonds, who in the succeeding month of the
same year, covenant to execute the four remaining windows
just named, according to the patterns supplied to them by
the superior artists.
The proper sequence of these latter contracts should be
observed ; for Walpole, by placing the last first, has fallen
into the mistake of giving a share of the credit of designing,
to those who manifestly were not to be entrusted with that
important branch of the business.
The honour of designing these windows undoubtedly
belongs in the first place to Barnard Flower, and in the
second place to Hone, Bounde, Reve and Nicholson.
And here we observe as an interesting fact, that all those
names are English ; 8 and further, that these establishments
— there are six distinct establishments — are all specified as
being in London.
We may, therefore, I think, fairly claim these windows,
both in respect of design and workmanship, as genuine
productions of British art.
This is a valuable addition to similar testimony, gleaned
from the accounts of St. Stephen's chapel," in the reign of
Edward III. ; and of the York and Warwick windows ; to
name no more, altogether dissipating the common doubt as
to whether painted glass was ever a regular manufacture of
this country.
Other important particulars to be gathered from these
contracts are : — first, that the glass must date from 1516 to
1530-2 ; omitting, of course, the relics in the north chapel-
ries, which cannot be less than half-a-century older ; but of
which no account is preserved.
Again, we find that we are indebted to Henry VII. and
his executors, and not to Henry VI., as Dyer states, nor
yet to Henry VIIL, as is more commonly supposed, for the
gift and completion of these magnificent windows.
6 Hone's name, it has been objected, first intention was to have had good
should stand " Hoon " which is Dutch. " Normandy " glass ; but that in every
This is true as far as the body of the con- instance the wi.nl Normandy has been
tract goes, but the man always si:,'"* erased. We may infer from this, that not
himself " Hone." I observed also, when only the men, but their materials, were
kindly permitted to inspect the original British.
documents, a short time since, that the " Smith's Antiquities of Westminster.
VOL. XII. Y
L58 KINGS i'm|.i.];.,i: CHAPEL WINDOWS.
Henry VIII. supplied the rood-screen and interior fittings
of the chapel, but his wealthy and superstitious lather hail
already provided for the glass.
This circumstance, by the way, accounts for the profusion
of memorials relating to Benry VII. which these windows
contain, though executed, as we Bee, some time alter that
prince's death.
We further learn that the royal executors left the devising
and ordering of the glass, that is, I suppose, the choice of
subjects and the supervision of the vidimuses, to a select
committee, consisting of the Trovost Ilacomblcn assisted by
William Holgylle, clerk and master of the Savoy, London,
and Thomas Larke, Archdeacon of Norwich. Of these three,
since to the last two was referred the judgment of compensa-
tion in cases requiring a knowledge of art, of whom Larke
was the general superintendent of the building in Cam-
bridge ; it remains that Holgylle, residing in London, where
all the glass-work was executed, was the special manager of
this department.
Finally, as to the distribution of the work ; it is plain.
thai as there are twenty-five painted windows in the chapel,
twenty-one of which may be sufficiently accounted for, it
would appear that Barnard Flower had completed Four
windows ere he died, together (probably) with the glass in
the heads or tracery of all the windows: but of this more
hereafter.
Before dismissing the documentary part of our subject,
it may be wel] to state, thai these windows were condemned
by tin' Long Parliament.
There is an entry of tin- commissioners in the Journals
of the House bo this effect: "Dec 26th, L643 ; steps
(altar-steps?) to be taken down ; and a L,000 superstitious
pictures, the ladder of Christ, ami thieves >Vc."
This was during the Provostship of Dr. Collins, ejected
L645. How it happened thai our windows escaped during
the intervening year, 4 1, wo are not informed.
Possibly they were taken down, (ii is certain they have
.-ill been down and reloaded ;it some time or other ;) bul it is
more likely that they remained iii their places .'it tin' period
peak of. and thai the superstitious pictures a1 the weal
end then mstained the Berious damage they exhibit to
this day, while the general Bcriptural character of the
king's college chapel windows. 159
rest,8 together with the opportune election of Dr. Which-
cote (a moderate man), preserved them to us much as they
are at present.
THEIR HISTORY FROM INSPECTION.
And now for a word or two as to what further historical
information may be obtained from inspection. Omitting —
as I said before — the glass in the north-east chapelries, and
confining ourselves to the chapel itself, the oldest glass
appears to be that over the north-west door. This window
is unique as to age and style, partaking more of the Per-
pendicular aspect than anything in the chapel. If, there-
fore, it is one of Flower's four, he afterwards altered his
style. Is it not more probable, that it was a purchase or
present to the chapel, and executed by other hands 1 9
Next, we may safely conclude, that Flower fitted all the
tracery lights of the windows ; for first, it is highly proba-
ble that they would be inserted ere the scaffolding of the
roof was removed. Again, they all appear to be the work
of one hand, strongly contrasting, in this respect, with the
variety of manipulation in the pictures below ; and once
more, among all the cognisances and initials with which they
are crowded, there is no reference to Anne Boleyn, but only
to Henry VII., and Elizabeth of York, or to Henry VIII.
and Catherine. This, I imagine, would not have been
the case had they been executed after 1526 (the date of
the second contract) when the subject of the divorce was
pending.
It is more difficult to decide upon the other contribu-
tions of Barnard Flower. But not to trouble ourselves with
speculations, I will merely mention a key which I think can
be used here with advantage ; it is the east window. Tliis
window, we know, is not Flower's work, because it is spe-
cially contracted for after his death by Hone and his partners.
Now in this window, the figures are on a large scale, and
executed with much freedom and vigour.
Taking this, therefore, as a guide, we ought to be able to
detect, not only its sixteen companions, but also the last four
for which designs were furnished by one and the same party.
s 1 have met with many cases of this ready-made windows in the rei<;n of Ed-
kind of discrimination. ward III. ; and this looks rather like an
9 We find instances of the purchase of adapted window.
160 RINGS COLLEGE CHAPEL WINDOWS.
With regard to these last-named four, it is also worthy of
notice, that they were to be placed " two on oon side, and two
.m the other Bide of the chapel." If this means vis-a-vis,
here is a further key.
In tlii- way. Blower's work might possibly be eliminated ;
when it would, I conceive, be found to lie among the north-
eastern windows, where the figures are on a smaller scale,
and also in a somewhat earlier manner.
GENERAL ARRANGEMENT.
Having finished the history, we now pass on to consider
the general arrangement of these windows. This is very
Bimple when the clue is once perceived.
Generally speaking, each window contains four pictures,
two above and two below the transom.
The lower tier is the one in scries, being a regular chain
of Gospel history, passing all round the chapel. It com-
mences at the north-west corner, with the birth of the Virgin
Mary, continues eastward through the various scenes of our
Lord's active life, then takes up the Acts of the Apostles
and concludes with the legends of St. Mary's death in the
south-west corner. It has often occurred to me, whether
these cycles (for they occur elsewhere) might not be in
illustration of the ecclesiastical year, according to some
••use" of the time; but 1 could uever identify them.
The upper tier consists of stories also, but not in any
chronological order, being chosen out of the Old Testament,
or the Apocrypha, simply on account of their correspondence
respectively with those beneath, on the well-known principle
of type and am itype.
There arc a few exceptions to this a rrangeinent, as in the
first, or oorth westernmost window, in the east window, and
in those illustrating the A-m^ ; hut the rule is as above-
Btated.
Th.iv Beems nothing wrong in this plan of parallelism,
],i where it is superstitiously applied ; but, al any rate,
il wa a \ery favourite scheme of the mediaeval artists:
we in. . t with it in the catacombs of Rome; in the Biblia
Pauperum ; and there are lew remains of glass without some
I lac, ()f ||.
It her be recognised in Canterbury, in Bourges, in the
king's college chapel windows. 161
accounts of St. Stephen's chapel, and of Horschau monastery ;
at Fairford, at Liege, at Gouda. Moreover, in this way are
to be explained such references to lost collections, as the
following : " the windows contained the whole story, from
the Creation to the Judgment." 9 For it so happens that
the Temptation of Eve, easily mistaken for the Creation
(especially if, as in King's Chapel, the animals are
scrambling out of the ground at the feet of our first mother)
was the received type or correspondence of the Annuncia-
tion, one of the first subjects in the Gospel history.
But to return to our subject : — Care was always taken in
this arrangement that the Crucifixion should fall into place
at the east end of the church, and the Last Judgment at
the west.
This was clearly the idea here, and had the west window
been painted, it would probably have presented us with
some such a combination of gorgeous colouring and gross
superstitions as may be seen at Fairford to this day.
Perhaps it will be well to give a complete list of the
subjects as they stand in the chapel.
Commencing then at the north-west corner and counting
eastward, we have —
No. I.
Joachim's Offering refused by the High- Joachim with the Shepherds,
priest. Text. — " .... peperit Anna . . . ."
Text. — "Angelusin . . . ." (Spurious Gospel, c. ii.)
(See Spurious Gospel of St. Matthew,
or Birth of Mary, c. i.)
Joachim and Anna at the Golden Gate. Birth of the Virgin Mary.
Text. — " Angelus in .... ens tie . . . Text. — ". . . . peperit Anna Mariam
ut . . . . decern." benedictam."
(Spurious Gospel, c. iii.) (Spurious Gospel, c. iv.)
No. II.
Type. Type.
Tobifs Offering to the Temple.1 Tobias' Marriage.
Text. — " Mensa aurea oblata est in Text. — " Hie Sara desponsat Tobie."
templo." (No reference.)
(No reference.)
Antitype. Antitype.
Mary presented at the Temple. Marriage of Joseph and Mary.
Text. — " Maria Domino oblata est in Text. — " Hie virgo Maria desponsat
templo." Josep."
(See Spurious Gospel.) (Spurious Gospel : Joseph holds the
Budding Rod.) ■
9 So the windows of Lambeth chapel, has a fishing-net on his shoulder. This
in Laud's time are described, and a win- identifies the subject, but the connection
dow of twenty-one lights, at Hengrave, between the golden table and the Virgin
Suffolk. Mary is beyond my comprehension.
1 Besides Tobit's dog, the young man
[62
KINGS COLLEGE CHAPEL WINDOWS,
No. III.
Type.
Temptation of Eve,
Text — "pneeepil nobia Dens ne ootn-
mederemusetne tan^-remus illuJ ne forte
moriamur." — Gen. iii. (3).
Am ni'K.
.1 nnwnciaiion.
I Kl •' Mil : Betbleem, terra Juda,
ii"ii erifl minima in(ter) princip(es) . . ."
ferenoe gone; probably to Matt.
ii. 6.)
No.
Type.
/ • 'tution of Oir
Text. — ** Vocavitque Abraham nomen
tilii sui '|ii<-in genuit ei Sara, Isaac, et cir-
ctuncidet earn octavo die." — Gen. xxi.
(3,4).
Antitype.
-
Text- -" Et pustquam consummati sunt
dies octo, ut circumcideretor paer, voca-
tum est nomeu ejus Jesus." — Luke ii.
(21).
No.
Typb.
/''•-' I! tin Law.
-" Sanciitica mihi omne progeni-
turn quod aperit vulvam in tiliis Isra l.M
I i xiii. (2).
! I PB.
/■ Virgin Maty.
T< Kt " Adduxerunt ilium Hierosoly-
ma ut aiaterenl emu domino : sicut acrip-
t in ii e-t in 1' _'• Domini."— Luke ii. ('JJ,
23).
Type.
The Burning Buth.
T.xt. — " Apparuicque ei Dominua in
tlamma ignis de medio rubi : et videbat
qd. rubua arderet et iioti eombureretur."
Ex. iii. (2).
Antitype.
Birth of Jesus Christ.
Text. — " Cum aatem natus esset Jesus
in Betbleem trivitate Jndesa." — Matt. ii.
IV.
Type.
Queen of Sheba.
Text. — " Dedit ergoregi centum viginta
talenta auri. et aromata multa nimis, et
gemmas pretiosas." — (2 (liron. ix. 9.)
Antitype.
Tin Wise Men's Offerings.
Text - ■" Apcrtis thesauri* suis olitu-
lerunt illi monera annuo, thus, et myrr.
h.-iin." - Matt. ii. (,U).
Type.
Jacob flying from Esau.
Text. — " Kcee Esau Crater tuns minatur
ut occidat te." — Gen. xxvii (42).
Ami n i'K.
Flight into Egypt.
Text. — " Surge, el accipite puerom et
matrem illius, et rage in /Egyptum, el eato
illic donee dixero tibi." — Matt. ii. (1.1).
tfo. \ I.
Typb.
i/ Law.
Text " [rataeque valde projecil de
mana tabula* el eoofi Ex.
xxxiL ( 1 B).
i vim:.
Tin i ■ i rypt fatting
.'
Text " (Onua jEgypti ecce Dominna
I • f null hi i lei 'in 'I in i ■
.le tin- 1 .1 .:■> I'liitn el amovebontur ai-
mulacra - 1 - _' v | • t i a facie ejoa)." Is. nix.
Type.
./ Atkaliah,
'I'. \i illegible. (This correspondence
ocean in the Biblia Pauperum.)
Am i n PK.
//. od'i Ma v ■ oj fin /nun,; ntt.
Text. " El missis Batellitibua interfeetl
omnea pueroa <|ui eranl in Betbleem.*1
.Mm. ii. (16).
N... \ II
Trpi
\' Jordan,
n i. | i o H i |'ii' ■ la i il
.le- , . , et liilllldalu ■ I
i I).
Ttpb.
'- mptcd t" Bell kit BirthriglU.
Text " Aii Jacob, Jura i rgo mlhi.
.1 in n ii .i l . in, al vin'li'lit primogi uita. '
• ;■ n. i w. ( 88).
KINGS COLLEGE CHAPEL WINDOWS.
163
Antitype.
T/ie Baptism of Christ.
'JLYxt. — " Baptizatus autem Jesus, con-
fcstim ascendit do aqua, et ecce aperti sunt
ei coeli, et vidit spiritual Dei." — Matt. iii.
(16).
No.
Type.
The Triumph of David.
Text. — "(Assumens autem) David ca-
put Philistinum attulit illud in Jerusalem."
— 1 Sam. xvii. (54).
Antitype.
Christ's Entry into Jerusalem.
Text. — " Ecce Rex tuus venit sedens
super pulluni asinse." — John xii. (15).
Antitype.
The Temptation of Christ.
Text. — " Et accedens tentator dixit ei,
Si filius Dei es die ut lapidus isti panes
riant."— Matt. iv. (13).
VIII.
Type.
Elisha Raising the Shun'amite's Son.
Text. — " Tolle filium tuum. Venit ilia
et corruit ad pedes, et adoravit super ter-
rain."— 4 Kings iv. (36).
Antitype.
Lazarus Raised from the Dead.
Text. — " Lazare, veui foras ! Et pro-
didit qui fuerat mortuus." — John xi.
(43).
No. IX.
Typk.
The Manna.
Text. — " Panem de coclo prsestitis eis."
Wisdom xvi. (20).
Antitype.
The Last St/j>/>t r.
Text. — " Desiderio desideravi hoc pas-
cha comedere vobiscum antequam patiar."
— Luke xxii. (15).
Type.
Cain killing Abel.
Text. — " Consurrexit Cain adversus
fratrem suum Abel." — Gen. iv. (8).
Antitype.
Judas Betraying Christ.
Text " Dixit ave Rabbi, et occula-
tus est eum." — Matt. xxvi. (49).
Type.
Jeremiah Imprisoned.
Text. — " I rati principes contra Jere-
miam (csesum) eummiseruntincarcerem."
— Jerem. xxxvii. (15).
Antitype.
Christ before Cuiaphas.
Text. — " Si malo locutus sum (testimo-
nium) perhibe de malo." — John xviii.
(23).
Type.
The Fall of the Rebel Angels.
Text. — " Si ceciderint in terram a semi-
tipsis uon consurgent." — Baruch vi. (26).
Antitype.
The Garden of Gellusemane and the
Ministering Angel.
Text. — " Pater, si vis transfer poculum
hoc a me." — Luke xxii. (42).
No. X.
Type.
Shimei Cursing David.
Text. — " Egredere, egredere, vir san-
guinum, et vir Belial." — 2 Sam. xvi. (7).
Antitype.
Christ Mocked by the Soldkrs.
Text. — "Velaverunt eum et percutie-
bant faciam ejus." — Luke xxii. (64).
No. XI.
Type.
Noah Drunken and Naked.
Text. — " Bibensque vinum inebriatus
est et nudatus (in tabernaculo suo)." —
Gen. ix. (21).
Antitype.
Christ Stripped before Herod.
Text. — " Vse qui dicitis malum bonum,
et bonum malum." — Is. v. (20).
No. XII.
Type.
Job Vexed by Satan.
Text. — " Dominus dedit, Dominus abs-
tulit ; sit noruen Domini benedictum." —
Job i. (21).
Antitype.
Christ Scourged,
Text. — " Tunc ergo reprehendit Pilatus
Jesam et flagellavit." — John xix. (1).
Type.
Solomon Crowned.
Text. — " Egredimini et videte, filije
Zion regem Salomonem." — Cant. iii. (11).
Antitype.
Christ Crowned with Thorn*.
Text. — " Et niilites plectentes coronam
de spinis imposuerunt capiti ejus." — John
xix. (2).
iiw
kino's college chapel windows.
No. XI11.
The Great East Window contains six pictures relating to the Crucifixion, without
correspondencee. Recommencing at the south-east corner and counting westward, we
have : —
No. XIV.
Type. (Some modern glass.)
Naomi and her Daughters.
Text.—" Ne vocetia me Naomi."
AirriTTPB.
Christ 7)< wailed.
Ti xt — " Qnin el tuum ipsius animani
peuetrabit yladius." — Luke ii. (35).
No.
Type.
Josiph in the Pit.
Text — "Et mittamus eum in cisternam
m quae est in solitudiue." — Gen.
xxxvii. (22).
Antitype.
i | laid in 'In Tomb.
Text— "Posuit Qlod in monumento
suo novo." — Matt, xxvii. (GO).
No.
Type.
Jonalt and the Whale.
Text — '' Evumuit Jonain in aridam." —
Jon ii. (11).
Antityti:.
Tin I- of t 'liri.it.
Text — " Hevolvit lapidem et Bedebal
super eum." — Matt, xxviii. ("2).
No.
Typk.
/ ,1 tin I'll.
Text. — " Reversuaque Reuben ad cia-
ternam oon invanil puerum." — Gen.
xxxvii. (29).
Avim i i
The Women at tht Sepulchre.
Text '• l-t rald< mane a primo die
(Sabbatorum) reniunl ad monumentnm,
oli ." M.,1-1. wi. < 2).
\.,
T; ii.
Tin .1 ngtl appears to Habh <
'I . ..t " Argi ii i mil it anram oon i I
iiiiln, qd, autern baboo boo tibi do.*' — Aetn
(Tbia text ia a repetition <>i No. xxi)
i ii .
CI,, j I In tin tlWO I '
I
• \ ii i Judei 'i '|ih habitati
.is mm mm ■ i i, hoc i obi i notum
bit " An n (14),
|.. tltion "i So xxi.)
XV.
Type.
The Exodus.
Text — " Eduxit Israel per turmas
suas." — Ex. xii. (51).
Antitype.
Tin Harrowing of Hell.
Text. — " Advenit te liberai'e Salvator
muml(i angnst . . . ."
(See Spurious Gospel of Nicodemus.)
XVI.
Typk.
Tobias returning to his Mother.
Text. — •' El illii-o agnovit renientem
lilium suum." — Tobit xi. {0).
A Nil TYPK.
C7iri.-<i appearing to his Mother.
Text. — "Salve, parens, enixa es puer-
pera regem <|ui coslum terramque regit"
(No reference : see Golden Legend.)
XVII?
Tim:.
Daniel in th Lions' /'<« addressed by
l>n IUS.
Text — '• \ ' nil au|. in rex
Ii.iin.ii-, Daniele!1' — Dan. vi (80).
Antittps,
< 'hri.it app aring to Mary MagdaiU »- .
Text- "lla'c cum dixiaset, convene,
eetretrorsum >i ridit Jeaum atantem." —
John x\. (l-l).
Will.
■\\v\
Habbacuc feeds Daniel.
i . xi.— " Kt illi quidam ibanl gaudentea
■ conapectn i ailii." Acta \. (4 l).
(Tins tr.xt it< a repetition <>t No. xxi.)
Am i n ii .
Christ breaking bread at Emmavi.
T< Kt " Quid utique convenM robl
tentare apiritum Domini." Acta r, (.'')•
(Text belonga t" No. nxi.)
KINGS COLLEGE CHAPEL WINDOWS.
1G5
No. XIX.
Type.
Joseph meeting Jacob.
Text. — " Dixit Jacob ad Joseph : jam
laetus moriar quia vidi i'aciem tuam." —
Gen. xlvi. (.'30).
Antitype.
Christ appearing to the Desciples.
Text. — " Pax vobis, et cum hsec dix-
isset, osteudit eis mauus et latus." — John
xx. (29).
Type.
The Prodigal Son.
Text. — "Pater, peccavi in coelum et
coram te." — Luke xv. (21.)
Antitype.
The Unbelieving Thomas.
Text. — " Pax vobis ; deinde dixit
Thomas, infer digitum tuum hue et vide
manus nieas." — John xx. (27).
No. XX.
Type.
Elijah's Ascent to Heaven.
Text — " Cumque transissent, Helias
dixit ad Eliseum." — 4 Kings ii. (9).
Antitype.
Christ's Ascension.
Text. — " Qui est iste qui venit de Edom
tinctis vestibus." — Is. lxiii. (1).
Type.
The Law given to Moses.
Text. — " Videns autem populus quod
moram faceret descendi de monte Moses."
— Ex. xxxii. (1).
Antitype.
Tlie Holy Spirit given to the Apostles.
Text. — "Spiritus Domini replevit or-
bem terrarum." — Wisdom i. (7).
No. XXI.
Peter and John heal the Lame Man.
Text. — " Advenientes autem principes
sacerdotum et omnes qui cum eo erant
convocaverunt consilium." — Acts v. (21).
(This text is misplaced.)
The Crowd following Peter into the
Temple.
Text. — " Viri Judei et qui habitatis
Hierosalvmis universi hoc vobis notum
sit." — Acts ii. (14).
Imprisonment and Scourging of Peter
and John.
Text. — " Et dimiserunt eos, et illi qui-
dem ibant gaudentes a conspectu con-
silii."— Acts v. (41).
Death of Ananias.
Text. — " Petrus autem dixit, argentum
et aurum non est mihi, quod autem habeo,
tibi do." — Acts iii. (C).
(This text misplaced).
No. XXII.
Conversion of St. Paul.
Text. — " Et subito circumfulsiteumlux
de coelo et cadens in terram." — Acts ix.
(3, 4).
St. Paid and Barnabas at Lystra.
Text. — "(Sacerdos quoque Jovis qui
erat ante civitatem) illorum tauros et co-
ronas ad vestibula afferens cum turbis
volebat (sacrificare)." — Acts xiv. (12).
St. Paul disputing with the Jews at
Damascus.
Text. — " (Fuit autem) Saulus cum dis-
cipulis qui erant Damasci per dies ali-
quot."— Acts ix. (19).
The Apostles assaidted at Iconium.
Text. — " Supervenerunt autem quidam
ab Antiochia et Iconio Judei " —
Acts xiv. (19).
No. XXIII.
St. Paul casting out the Spirit of Divi-
nation.
Text. — " Prsecipio tibi in nomen Jesu
Christi exire (ab) ea." — Acts xvi. (18).
St. Paul parting from his Friends.
Text — " Cum soluissimus igitur a
Troade recto cursu venimus Samothra-
cen." — Acts. xvi. (11). ,
(This is obviously a mistake for Acts
xxi. 1).
St. Paul arraigned.
Text. — " Et apprehendentes Paulum
trahebant eum extra templum." — Acts
xxi. (30).
St. Paul before Felix or Nero.
Text. — " Permissum est Paulo manere
sibimet cum custodiente se milite." —
Acts xxviii. (16).
I have now only to mention the arrangement of the last two
windows, that is, the westernmost on the south side. These,
VOL. XII.
166 KINGS COLLEGE CHAPEL WINDOWS.
containing the conclusion of the Virgin Mary's history, have
sustained irreparable injury, and arc only intelligible after
much patient study. They represent "the death of Mary,"
typified above by " the death of Tobit." The correspondence
lies in this: thai when Tobit and Mary were dying each of
them sent for their sons. Hence both legends begin with
words taken from the last chapter of the book of Tobit : " In
bora mortis vocavit filium s^uln).', In the upper picture is
Been the young Tobias with the Angel by his side ; and in
the lower, our Lord (with the labarum, or resnrrection-
Btandard in his hand) at the foot of his mother's bed.
Then follows in order, Mary's burial : this is typified
above by "the burial of Jacob," with the legend: uJosep
tribus sepeliunt Jacob." The point of correspondence lure
must be, that (according to the spurious gospel) Mary,
like Jacob, gave commandment concerning her burial.
On tliis occasion a disturbance with the Pagan soldiery is
said to have taken place, all of which is faithfully depicted
on the glass.
The last window contains, on the left hand, "the
Assumption of the Virgin." typified by ki the apotheosis of
an unknown saint" with a conspicuous pouch by his side.8
On the right is "the Coronation of Mary," typified by the
subject of Solomon placing Bathsheba on a throne at his
Bide." The proximity of the small stone image of the Virgin
in tin' rose to this window will now be understood.
1 have dwelt a little upon these two windows, because the
guide-book does not name them ; indeed 1 believe this is
the firei time that either they or the first window, or any
iif the texts given above, have been described.
THE MESSENGERS.
Another pari of the general arrangemenl worthy of note
is the system of " messengers " as they are called in the
central lights of all the side windows, ranged one ever the
other. Of these there are four to each win. lew (ninety-four
altogether in the chapel) holding Bcrolls with the texts of
scripture to explain the Bubjecl of the pictures.
A similar arrangemenl occurs in the Meek I ks and
to ri.nj.-i- with Saint Wary. U an Old Testament
ton that it ' Nicholas, to whom ubject, might it toot be thi Translation ol
tl,.- . ted in eon junction Enoch '
king's college chapel windows. 107
illuminations of the period, and in many collections of
glass.
We have already seen that this was the case with the
windows of Henry VII.'s chapel, Westminster. In Fairford
church the prophets face the apostles, and whilst the latter
recite the Apostles' Creed amongst them, the former exhibit
prophecies relating to the last judgment. Even Norman and
Early English glass have traces of this explanatory method.
The messengers of Kino's consist of two classes, the one
venerable figures like prophets, the other angels, with or
without the nimbus.
This distinction I imagine was only made for the sake of
variety ; for they follow no order, but illustrate indiscrimi-
nately an Old or New Testament subject, always observing,
however, that two of each sort are attached to a window.
To this seeming disorder there is but one exception, viz., in
the windows illustrating the Acts of the Apostles, where six
figures of St. Luke (with the bull at his feet) carry his own
texts ; but even they share this honour with as many
angels.
The demi-figures with wings are usually called St. Michael ;
and the prophet Ezekiel may perhaps be distinguished by
his dress. But it is plain that all symbolism, whether of
colour or form, wTas by this time held with a very loose
hand.
the texts.
The texts or legends are written in large Gothic cha-
racters, with the usual abbreviations, and sometimes having
Lombardic capitals. The book and chapter are invariably
marked according to the custom of the day.
The Old Testament quotations generally agree with the
Vulgate, or with some of the scarcely dissimilar varieties of
Jerome. But not so the quotations from the New Testa-
ment, which vary very much from any version (I have
compared seven or eight) except that of Erasmus, especially
his second edition, 1519. This coincidence taken in con-
nection with the fact that Erasmus had not left Cambridge
when our windows were begun, would favour the idea that
the great reviver of learning as well as of morals has had a
hand in these inscriptions. Such a thing would not be
beneath him, professor though he was ; for we find him in
the year I.")!.') receiving twenty shillings for drawing up an
L68 king's college chapel windows.
epitaph for Margaret of Richmond's tomb in Westminster
Abbey.
THEIR VALUE AS WORKS OF ART.
But, besides being curiously and historically interesting,
these windows are truly invaluable as works of art. They
other altogether the best and almost only examples of an
English historical school of painting. As marble was the
material of Greece, and fresco of Italy, so glass is certainly
the material and Burface upou which our native genius has
expended itself. Define a school of high art as yon may,
what is there in this kingdom, we ask, in point of scale, of
quantity, or of merit (and that under considerable disad-
vantages), to compare with the collections of glass in our
cathedrals and churches, to say nothing of scattered remnants
and of demolished glass. Surely nothing formerly done in
the way of illuminations or woodcuts, or latterly in the way
of oils, can claim such a title \ lint here (to confine our-
selves to this single specimen) are at least one hundred
gigantic pictures, retaining much of their original vigour,
and executed ai (lie iwi\al of art in Europe, and in rivalry
of the greai [talian school itself.
That 1 am not speaking without warrant, hear Vandyke's
opinion of tin1 Fairford glass, tar inferior to this in respect
of historic merit : " He often affirmed to the king (Charles I.)
that many of I lie figures in the Fairford windows were so
exquisitely done thai they could he exceeded by no pencil." '
Walpole also remarks of these very windows of King's
chapel, thai "the artists who executed them would figure
as considerable painters in .'my reign," adding, in true anti-
quarian spirit, ••and what, a rarity, in a collection ol
draw ingSj would be one of their vidimuses ! "
Bui an example is worth a thousand recommendations.
For this purpose I would beg to poin! oul the two figures on
horseback, one in profile, the other a three quarter face, <-(>u-
irersing together in the lower righl band subject of the greai
easl window. Nothing can he more lull of expression and
individual character than the countenances, or i <• easy than
i he composition of 1 bese figures. And here let me explain one
ol the difficulties which our glass painters had to contend with
in making their designs. Each bay or light i divided both
Popo [raplij ol ' Houei U rahu -
KINGS COLLEGE CHAPEL WINDOWS. 169
vertically and horizontally by iron bars ; that is to say, the
cartoon, ere the design was commenced, had to be marked off
like a gridiron ; and then every head and hand was brought
into one or other of the divisions ! Sometimes, in older glass,
this may be mentioned as an apology for stiff necks and other
contortions ; but here it is only another matter of astonish-
ment and praise, when we find how well the difficulty has been
overcome. And does not this peculiarity of conformation
(together with the necessarily high pitch of the horizon line in
all old glass designs) prove their originality, — another point of
merit in any work of art I 4 " The Christ " likewise, " bearing
his cross," in this window, has a fine face, quite of the
Spanish school.
Another example of the historic merit of King's chapel
windows is the well-known figure of Ananias, in the window
on the south side of the chapel nearest the organ-loft. The
ghastliness of the face is exceedingly well done, and will
repay an examination through a glass.
Lastly, as a piece of difficult, but most graceful design,
observe the apotheosis of the unknown saint in the last
window in the south-west corner in the upper left-hand
compartment.
Upon the whole, though there are doubtless many inferior
parts and a considerable amount of mutilation and displace-
ment, and some still later damage, yet these windows must
ever be acknowledged to offer a truly wonderful collection of
designs and details, worthy of a high place (yea, I submit,
in the absence of anything more worthy, of the highest
place) in our kingdom of historical art.
The men who painted them were not mere vitrifiers or
glaziers, but artists in a high sense of the term.
Refreshed from the fountains which Michael Angelo and
Raffaelle had just opened to the world, they approached
their material with no mean ideas or trembling hands ;
their arms seem to have forgotten the trammels of lead and
of arming, and to have swept over the glass with grand and
flowing lines, that can scarcely be outdone, and every bold con-
trast of colour and composition. To brilliant lights and colours,
such as no other kind of painting can approach to, they have
added a manly vigour of conception that never seems to flag.
1 I should add hen-, that this " a No plagiarism but that of subject and
priori" supposition is rally sustained by conventional treatment can be brought
an examination of the windows before us. against them.
i:n king's collbge chapel windows.
Observe, too, how well they tell a story ! In choosing a
subject, instead of invading the province of poetry or of the
histrionic art (the vice of modern painters) they seize upon
some stirring incident, like that of the Hampton Court
cartoons ; and then narrate it to the eye both simply and
earnestly, and (conventionalisms apart ) \\ Lib astonishing truth
to nature. This shows power of mind as well as of hand.
But I hasten to offer a few remarks upon the manufacture
of these windows.
The ironwork — or arming — is very heavy, a •'defence,''
as the contracts need scarcely tell us, "against great winds
and outrageous weatherings." Besides the vertical bars on
the outside, there are saddle-bars within, seven inches apart,
one being missed or bent occasionally, to avoid cutting a face
or any material part of a figure. It is a question, whether
we attend enough to the arming of our windows now-a-days.
Tunc only can prove ; but certain it is, that this cobweb of
iron bars — some of them an inch square — have only just
sufficed to preserve their charge for three centuries.5
The glass itself is all perfectly transparent, except where
it is shaded, and even the shadows are stipple-shaded, that
is, made as diaphanous as possible. In this respect the
windows under review agree with all old glass. It remained
for later times to think of obscuring glass with enamels or
dirt. Our modern obscurists would do well, I think, to bear.
in mind that the contractors for these windows were espe-
cially bound to supply "clean " glass.
The specific tint is slightly warm or golden, being indeed
only the white glass of the day, as may still be seen in old
cottages. I'-ut it is observable thai this tint or basis under-
and affects all the colours, as well as the white glass,
Bubduing the blue, for instance, and enriching the ruby,
Here is an Important hint, I imagine, on the general
harmony of any window which may hope to vie with old
glass. The cathedral tinl a& the manufacturers term i<
oughl to pervade all I he colours.
Some very successful attempts have been made lately to
prepare r;iw glass in this way. But for myself (if I m;i\ be
allowed to offer an opinion) I believe we shall eventually come
to tli of commerce the glass of the day. We ought,
i racomn Ird answer very wbII on ••' m«JI scalo, but
on ili<- nut could Imi.lU l.. tpplii 'l to i ucli i building
tide, in 1 1 • u "i •• ;iriiiin • l in.i umy m that befori
king's college chapel windows. 171
indeed, only to be too thankful that it is so pure and good as
it is ; and I feel persuaded that we shall be doing better by
giving attention to the essential principles of the art, than to
the recovery of this or that tint, which our ancestors were
constantly changing, and always — it appears to me — with the
hope and determination of getting rid of it altogether.
The flesh in King's chapel windows is stained with iron,6
which allows of its being transparent also, another point not
to be overlooked in pictorial glass-work ; for it is plain that
the flesh, constituting, as it does, the prominent parts of the
picture, is a sort of key-note to the whole : if this is dulled
with enamels of any kind, the entire window has to be dulled
too. Thus the glass is shorn of its glory, its brightness, its
first essential property, without which it is turned into a
mere transparency or blind, quite out of place in a window
made on purpose for the admission of light.
The colours used in this chapel are very varied ; several
shades, particularly of purple and green, producing delightful
associations with the more positive colours.
The colour, moreover, varies in depth on the same piece
of glass. Many effects of sky, foliage, and drapery, are thus
skilfully imitated. This difference of shade, in the present
instance, depends, I observe, upon the thickness of the glass.
But I believe the great charm of these windows lies in their
restricted and careful use of colour ; quite three-fourths, in
some cases seven-eighths of the whole surface, being white
glass, or white glass shaded. This reservation gives intense
value, by contrast, to the colours employed, greatly reducing
their gaudiness, and enhancing their depth.
And then the colour that is used is collected into nose-
gays, as it were, and not spotted or diluted by being spread
over the picture. This is bold treatment, no doubt, but it is
very successful here, particularly in the three windows on the
north side of the chapel, illustrating the Acts of the Apostles ;
and, I doubt not, would be with us also, if we could induce
our artists, or rather their patrons, once to reflect that there
may be too much of a good thing.
r' I was fortunate enough, three or four with a flux of any sort I may, perhaps,
years ago, after a number <>f experiments, be allowed to say, that Mr. Winston fully
to succeed in recovering the cin<[ue-cento approves of it.
flesh stain. Its value lies in dispensing
17:2 KINGS COLLEGE CHAPEL WINDOWS.
It is a curious fact, in the history of painted glass in tin's
country, that, from first to last, there lias been a growing
tendency to reduce the quantity of colour. It may, perhaps,
I"' explained thus: — the art was imported (say during the
sixth in- Beventh centuries) from southern countries, whence
it came glowing with colour suited to the richness of those
skies, and necessary to obscure some of their light.
Hut this exuberance was soon found inappropriate ami
inconvenient here ; hence arose, in the first place, the white
pattern windows of our various styles, and then the gradual
but genera] preponderance of white glass over colour, which
we speak of.
I had -nine more remarks to make on the manipulation of
these windows ; but, as they are purely technical, they may
be spared in a paper of this sort.
Such are a few of the ideas naturally suggested to the
student of King's chapel windows ; and nothing shows, I
think, more clearly the intimate and interesting connection
there is between archaeological reviews and our future pro-
gress in art.
Here is an art, the art of glass painting, which must, in
the nature of things, ever he popular in this country. It is.
in fact, just the ornamented state of a material, the use of
which i- increasing every day among us.
How necessary, then, that it should be securely grounded
and rightly directed! And what so useful for this purpose
as the experience of the past ; those first principles obtained
from a survey of long periods together, and the comparison
of various Btylee !
At the same time, we see the lolly of going back to
ancient times, when circumstances were so different, and
taking thence, in too Blavisb a manner, our model, either of
architecture, or of any of its parts.
Eternal principle- of taste of course there are, and prin-
ciples based upon climate, materials, ami habits, equally
binding; hut their application should e\er he left to the
independent impulses of genius, under the direction of pre-
:-• in exigences, ami of the ever-shifting, but. no doubt,
.it v ,-oid happy effects of time ami providence. For
light of i hi- hind, and on an ;ir! BO easily abused, il seemfl
to ii ie we cannot he too thankful
w .1 BOLTON
Original Botttmcnts.
AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE DEAN AND CHAPTER OF ST.
PAUL'S, LONDON, AND WALTER THE ORGONER, OF
SOUTHWARK, RELATING TO A CLOCK IN ST. PAUL'S
CHURCH. DATED NOVEMBER 22, 1344.
(COTTONIAN CHARTER, XXI. 24.)
COMMUNICATED BY SIR FREDERIC MADDEN, K.H.
Ceste endenture tesmoigne, qe convenuz est parentre le Dean et le
Cliapitre de leglise de Seint Pool de Londres, dune part, et Wauter Lorgoner
de Suthwerke, dautre part, cestassaver, qe le dit Wauter ferra une dyal en
lorloge de mesme leglise, od rooss ' et totes maneres de ustimentz appar-
tenantz al dit Dyal, et au tourner del Angel par amunt a lorloge, issint qe
le dit Orloge soit bon et covenable et profitable a monstrer les houres de jour
et de nuyt a durer sauntz defaute, et en cas qe defaute soit trove apres ces
houres en le dit Orloge, le dit Wauter se oblige par ceste endenture de faire
les adresces 3 totefoiz, quant il serra garni par les ministres de leglise. Et
pur ceste overaigne bien et leument parfaire et acomplir, les avantditz Dean
et Chapitre luy ferront payer sis livres desterlinges, cest assaver, au
commencement cessaunt soutz, et quant le Dyal serra prest de mettre sus,
trent souz, et a la parfesaunce de tote lovereyne, cest assaver a la quinzeme
de Paske preschcin a venir (interlined), trent soutz. Et le dit Wauter
trovera a ses coustages ferre, arresme,4 et totes manere dautre choses a la
dit overeyne parfayre, et avera de vere luy les veuz ustimentz qe ne volunt 5
plus servir. Et pur cele overeyne faire bien et leument le dit Wauter sei
oblige et ses heirs et ses executours et touz ces biens. Et pur seurte de
cele overeyne parfayre bien et leument, Nichole Peautrer de Lodegate,
Stephene Peautrer del Cunditte, Johanne Barbir, Sergeaunt de mesme
leglise, Thomas Barneby, archer sur le Pount de Londres, sount devenuz ses
plegges, et soi obligent et lour heirs et lour executours et touz lour biens,
ou qilz soient trovetz. En testmoignaunce de quele chose al une partie de
ceste endenture de vers le dit Wauter, le dit Dean et le Cliapitre unt mis lour
seals, a lautre partie de vers caus lesse, les ditz Wauter, Nichole et Stepbene,
Johan et Thomas ount mis lour seals. Done a Loundres, le Samadi le jour
de Seint Edmund le Roi et Martire, Ian du regne le Roi Edward tierz del
conqueste dyssuittime. [22nd Nov., 1344.]
The present deed was the counterpart remaining with the Dean and
Chapter, and of the five seals originally attached to it only two remain, and
these in a damaged condition. They are the fourth and fifth in order, and
may have been borrowed by the parties executing the indenture. On the
1 i. e . Itoues, wheels. struire, reparer. Roquefort.
I'ar-amont, en haut. Roquefort. ' Airain, brass.
3 Adrcscc, repairs. Adrenier, recon- ' For vcdent,
VOL. XII. A A
17 1 ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS.
first is a shield bearing the letter S, through which is a cross fitchee, which
risi b above the shield, and has three wavy lines proceeding from it, like a
pennon. Tart of the seal is broken off, but the portion of the legend that
remains, read — s>u:l HAN STRAVN6E. On the second seal is a rude
representation of the Crucifixion, with the legend rjBSVS n.\ z]akknv[s].
The deed is indorsed in a contemporary hand, Indentura de factum
Orilogii. In transcribing it, the contractions have been written at length.
In connexion with the early history of clocks. I may take the present
OCCi '• 0 few other particulars, which have fallen under my notice
in documents preserved at the British Museum. F.M.
Add. Charter, 4265.
Jehan de Rfenelix, master of the works to the Duke of Orleans, certifies,
that Thinomas Rogeret, "coustcllier et ouvrier de forge," had made " le
Reloige6 de Chasteauneuf, cestassavoir, les mouvemens, roes et roez, et
apparten' au dit Reloige, excepte la Cloiche," for the sum of 3G gold crowns.
Hat. 13 May, 1
Add. Charter, 4264.
Pierre le Queux, " Orlaugeur," acknowledges the receipt of 30 gold
crowns, at 18 solz each, from Godeffroy le Fevre, valet of the chamber of
the I 'like of Orleans, "pour la vente de trois Auloiges." Dat. 22 Dec, 1396.
Add. Charter, 1397.
Robert Dorigny, "fevre," acknowledges the receipt of 9 livres tournois
" pour avoir descendu et mis par membres le mouvement de l'Orloge qui
• atoit en l'ostel de Mens, le Due a Asniere, et ycellui conduit et fait admener
raiz a Villers Costerct,"by order of the Duchess. Dat. 7 Oct., 1397.
Add. Charter, 4291,
Jehan Dalemaige, "serrurier," of Paris, acknowledges the receipt of GG
Bole Paris, from the receiver of the finances of the Duchess of Orleans, " pour
un mouvement OU petite Orloge achate de lui pourmettre en la chamhre dc
ma dite D m ••." l».it. 9 Aug., 1 101.
J./,/. Charter, 1 154.
Jehan Lie!, mire, " faiseur d'Orloges," at Paris, acknowledges the receipt
of 55 solz tournois from the receiver-general of the Conte d'Angoulesme,
•• pour deux roes et antics choses par lui mises pour l'Orloge de mon dit
i in-." Dat. L9 Dec., 1 107.
The Agreement, for which we are indebted to Sir Frederic Madden, is
the only evidence, as far as we can ascertain, regarding the ancient clock
at St. i'aul's. Dugdale.in his History of that cathedral church, briefly
mentions the dial belonging to the clock, " concerning which there was '-are
;i in 18 Bdw. III., thai it should be made with all splendor that might
1,, ; which wa accordingly performed, having the image of an Angell, point-
ing al the hour both of the day and night. Ea autog. penes Bliam Ashmole.
dale, p. 22, orig. edit. 1658. It appears probable that the document
referred to may have been the counterpart of that now in the Cottoman
collection, namely, thai winch remained in the hand of Walter the Orgoner.
- i i Madden i not aware thai any of A bmole'a MSS. came into the
( ottoman collection, and ob ervei thai the charter given above formed part,
probably, of Sir Robert Cotton's library in the time of Jamea [..previous!]
to the pei iod w ben I tugdale wrote.
It may be concluded that there bad ezi ted a elocl in St. Paul'i
I;, |og< i - Reli Mini additions i" Din
ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS. 175
time previous to the date of this document, since Walter was permitted to
take for himself the old works (ustiments) no longer serviceable. We are
moreover indebted to the kindness of the Ven. Archdeacon of London for
an extract from the Compotus Bracerii of St. Paul's, a.d. 1286, in which
the allowances to " Bartholomeo Orologiario " are entered, namely, of
bread, at the rate of a loaf daily, for three-quarters of a year and eight days,
281 panes. "Item, Bartholomeo orolog', post adventum Willclmi Pikewell,
23 bott." (Botta, butta, Lagena, Due. a liquid measure, probably of beer.)
The earliest horologhim of which we have any account in this country is
that stated to have been constructed in 1288, 16 Edw. I., in the clock-
house near Westminster Hall ; it was memorable, according to Seidell, as
having been the result of a fine imposed on the Chief Justice, Ralph de
Ilenghaui. One of the most ancient clocks now existing in England is that
to be seen in Wells Cathedral : it was made by Peter Lightfoot, a monk of
Glastonbury, at the expense of Adam de Sodbury, Abbot of that house,
1322-35. It was removed to Wells from the abbey church of Glastonbury,
at the suppression. A representation of this remarkable horloge is given
in Phelps' Hist, of Somerset, vol. ii. p. 66. See also Warner's Hist, of
Glastonbury, pi. ix. Above the dial, it may be observed, there is a turret,
round which four mounted knights revolve, when set in motion by a com-
munication with the clock. This may possibly serve to explain the expression
in the agreement communicated by Sir F. Madden, — " au tourner del
Angel par aniunt lorloge."
Another memorable production of early skill in clockmaking was the
horloge called Albion, in St. Alban's Abbey Church, one of the gifts of
Richard de Wallingford, abbot, 1326-34. Representations of the abbot and
his clock may be seen in Cott. MSS. Claud. E. IV. and Nero, D. VII. It
seems to have continued to go as late as the time of Leland, who gives an
account of it in his treatise de Scriptoribus Britannicis, vol. i. p. 28. 7
Mr. Octavius Morgan suggests, with much probability, that the clock at St.
Paul's, for which Walter the Orgoner constructed " une dyal," may have
previously been one which struck the hours, but was not furnished with a
face ; and he observes, that such a clock, of the early part of the XVIth
century, is now at Leeds Castle, Kent. This has the movement and striking
part complete, but no dial-works or face. We may here express the hope,
that Mr. Morgan may speedily complete for publication the History of
Clock and Watchmaking, from the earliest times, a desideratum in
archaeological literature which no one is so highly qualified to supply.
As a contribution towards the materials for so desirable an object, the
following extracts from the Sacrist's Rolls, preserved amongst the archives
of the Dean and Chapter at Norwich, may here be appended to the valuable
information which we owe to the kindness of Sir F. Madden. The earliest
entry which has been noticed in the Rolls at Norwich is in 1322.
" Horolog'. — In uno plate de mctallo enipto iv. d. ob., in sound' empto
xvi. d.1 in faetura v. ymaginum xx. s. Item, garcioni facienti capit' iij. s.
" See also Newcome'a Hist, of St. Al- Herts, vol. i. p. 28, states that it was com-
hans. |>. 250. It is said that the abbot, pleted by Laurence Stokes, in the time of
who was the son of a blacksmith, and at- Abbot de la Mare, 1350-96.
tained to great proficiency in science at ' Doubtless the sounds or Bwimming
Oxford, had began early in life to construct bladders <>f fish, used as size either to
this clock, and resumed his work through temper colours, to form priming for the
the encouragement of Edward 111. Mr. ground, &c. In the accounts relating to
Clutterbuck, in his account of it, Hist, of the Painted Chamber frequent mention
176 ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS.
In stipcndiis Ifagistri Roberti xxx. s." Andrew ami Roger, carpenters, are
also mentioned as employed at this period ; the total of the expenditure,
between Michaelmas and Christmas, amounted to ■!/. L9s, S 1 r/.
In the Compotus of L323, several entries occur under the head Orologium,
— Payments id' wages to Andrew the carpenter, to Robert, to Roger de
Stoke ; with the following payment for the latter, — ■*• pro cariagio pan-
norum et instrumentorum ejus, viij. s.- — In uno hose de Latoun, iiij. s. vij. d.
q** Item, magistro Ade sculptori ]>ro factura xxiiij. parvarum ymaginum,
xj. s. Item, in cc. lapidibus de Cadamo, xxij. s. Item, Johanni fabro pro
opere ferri ad orologium, iij. s. ix. d. Item, lib' Roberto de Turri pro
factura magni laminis, x. s. et tantum in perdicione quia pro paupertate non
potuit opus perficere nee aliquid ah eo exigi, Summa, vi. li. xiij. s. ix. d. q**'1
The Roll of the following year is not to be found.
The ( ' mpotus of the year 1325 comprises the following entries : —
" Expense Orologii. — Item, in cc. et diinid' Bord' emptis, xlvij. s. Item,
in cariagio ejusdem, xvj. d. Item, in x. lapidibus nomine Clobctz- cum
cariagio, vij. s. ij. d. Item, in stipendio unius cementarii circa fundum
orologii, iij. s. viij. d. Item, in meremioad curbas, xviij. d. Item, inferro
empto, xvj. s. ix. d. oh. Item, in opere ferri, xvij. s. v. d. Item, in ere
empto, xvj. s. iij. d. Item, in uno lamine cupreo, vj. d. Item, in factura lune
cum pictura et deauratura, x. B. Item, in uno lamine cupreo cum dcauratura
ad solem, xj. d. Item, in ij. tenuibus laminibus eris, xv. d. Item, in instru-
mentis et emendacione instrumentorum, \. d. Item, in cordis ad orologium,
ij. s. vij. d. oh. Item, in factura xxx. ymaginum, xlvij. s. iiij. d. Item,
in meremio ad quaBdam ymagines, ij. s. j. d. Item, in pictura choree
monachorum in grosso, xiij. s. iiij. d. Item, in albo et rubeo plumbo, foliis
. ol t coloribus ad ceteras ymagines, x. s. viij. d. ob. Item, in
pictura dialis interioris et tabulc sub diali exteriori, ix. d. Item, in v' • auri
cum cariagio de London', xxj. s. vj. d. Item, in xxv. foliis ami, xiij. d.
Item, in pictura barellorum, xvj. d. quia bis. Item, in stipendio pictoris el
garcionic Bui per \iiij. Beptimanas et ij. dies, capieutis per diem viij. d. per
Beptimanam iz. b. vj. d. et non plus quia steterunt in mensa domini.' Item,
in magno lamine ad diale, iiij. li. vij. s. videlicet iiij"" vij. li. metalli pro
totidem Bolidis, [tern, in cariagio ejusdem laminis de London' apud
Norwycum, vii. .s. Item, in expeu.-is divi-r-orum garcionum diversis vicibua
London1 missorum pro predicto lamine, v. b. viij. d. Item, in ferro empto,
iij. -. Item, datum cuidam operator] noinine Roberto de Tuny ad
predictum lamen faciendum, in partem Bolucionis, sviij. s., in cujusmanibus
totum opus periit, et Ita depauperatus \. Bolidos restituil et octo amittuntur
quia nichil babuit in bonis, [tern, pacatum cuidam operatori apud London'
in partem solucionii ad predictum lamen faciendum, vij. s. Item, cuidam
alio sub Bimili paoto, \. b. qui ambo totum quod fecerunt perdiderunl et
nichil propter eorum egestatem potuit ab eis exigi. Item, in expensis
tri Etc mi garcionu e( equi ui, propter predictum lamen London
. iij. b. j. d. [tern, in cariagio rerum de London1 xij. d. Item, in
I v. ,,//., ..'I'" ,ai alio i.uttr. Gobet of a brok vn th vnge,
In tboM concerning St Stephen's Cliapol, frogmen."
■!,,,, i ..-. in tin' i The express mention of oil for the
l.iv account is the Item "i boat' de preparation of pigment* is not undeserving
l • 1 1. 1 *, i .';>i " These of notioe,
probabl) cuttings of parchment ox ' The painter and his assistant liad their
\ ,i i j board ai the table "i the Lord Prior, snd
lli.- ['romptorium :• ■• "Gobet, on that ace i i reduction was made in
I po, [, Gobel thoir h
OKIGINAL DOCUMENTS. 177
factura cimbalarum, xvj. s. ix. d. Item, in viij. cimbalis parvis emptis a
quadam venicntc de Cantuar',5 ij. s. viij. d. Item, pro una lapide pro cimbalis
emendandis, vj. d. Item, in Batellulis ad cimbalas, vij. d. Item, in ferro et
factura ferri, xx. s. Item, in clavis, ij. s. v. d. Item, inopere ferri, ix. s.
Stipendia cum Robis. — In stipendio Roberti Orologiarii pro iiij. terminis,
xl. B. Item, in roba ejusdem cum furure, xvj. s. Item, in garneamento
dato filio suo, iiij. s. Item, in stipendio Andree carpentarii per xxiiij.
septimanas, capientis per septimanam vij. d., xiiij. s. Item, in stipendio ejus-
dem pervj. septimanas, capientis per septimanam ut supra, iij. s. vj. d. Item,
in stipendio J. de Belawe per xij. septimanas, viij. s., qui comp' viij. d. per
septimanam. Item, in stipendio magistri Rogeri Orologiarii per ij. annos et
xj. septimanas, vj. li. qui cepit per septimanam x. d. Item, in stipendio
Laurencii Orologiarii per ij. annos, lxix. s. iiij. d. qui cepit per septimanam
viij. d. Item, in roba magistri Rogeri primi anni, cum furur', xix. s. vj. d.
Item, in robis Rogeri et Laurencii secundi anni, cum furur', xxxiiij. s. vj. d.
Item, in robis eorundem tercii anni cum furur', xxxiij. s. viij. d. Item, in
oblacionibus eorundem per totum tempus, v. s. vj. d. Summa,xl. li. xvj. s.ob."
By the foregoing extracts it appears that the Orologium at Norwich was
an elaborate piece of mechanism, furnished with many painted images, which
doubtless performed surprising evolutions, like the twelve knights issuing
from small windows in the horologium described as sent by Aaron, king of the
Persians, to Charlemagne ; ( Annales Francorum, a.d. 807.) There were such
automata connected with the Glastonbury clock, above mentioned, as also
in the celebrated piece of mechanism at Strasburgh. At Norwich there
was a set of 24 small images, the work of Master Adam the sculptor, pro-
bably personifying the hours of the day and night. There were also 30
images, doubtless representing the days of the month ; painted and gilded
plates pourtraying the sun and moon, <fcc. A painted chorea monachorum,
or procession of monks, formed part of this curious mechanical pageantry.
A large metal plate for the dial was procured from London, apparently with
6ome difficulty, numerous messages having been despatched thither regarding
it by various garciones. This lamen, which weighed 87 lbs., was evidently
a complicated and very elaborate work, engraved possibly with a multiplicity
of lines indicating the movements of the heavenly bodies. The construction
was obviously attended with no ordinary difficulties ; Master Robert de
Turri failed in the attempt, and two artificers from London who succeeded
in his place were equally unsuccessful. The works appear to have been in
progress during three years, and besides iron-work, brass, copper, and
" latoun," a considerable amount was expended in carpenters' work, deco-
rations in colours, enriched with gold and silver foil, «tc. Two hundred
pieces of Caen stone, and ten of stone termed " Gobetz," were employed,
possibly in the construction of the base upon which the clock was fixed;
[fundum orologii.) The position which it occupied in the church is not, as
far as we are aware, now to be ascertained.
A. W.
5 The pilgrims to the shrine of St. would have bagpipes — "so that in everie
Thomas appear to have furnished them- towne that they come through, what with
selves with small bells, in the manufacture the noise of their singing, and with the
of which, probably, Canterbury had some sound of their piping, and with the jangling
celebrity. In the examination of William of their Canterburie bels " — more noise
Thorpe by Archbishop Arundel, in 1 in;, was made than if the king came that way,
as related by himself, it is said that some Wordsworth, Eccl. Biogr. vol. i. p. 1G8.
pilgrims indulged in wanton songs, otto rs
}3roccctJtngs at tf)c /Hcctinns of tftc .^rcftncologtcal institute.
February 3, 1S55.
William Henry BtAAUW, Esq., F.S.A., in the Chair.
The Rev. 11. M- Scabth communicated further notices of the Roman
inscription found at Bath, and represented in this Journal, see p. 90, ante.
A discussion ensued, in which Mr. Franks, irho had recently examined the
original, now in the Museum of the Bath Institution, stated the grounds of
his conviction that the tahlet should he assigned to the reign of Blagabalus,
The inscription, he observed, can only apply to Caracalla or Elagabalus ;
but it does not appear that the epithet Iwoictw was given to the former,
There are, however, coins of Elagabalus on which he is thus styled. Mr.
Franks thought that the inscription might have suffered mutilation in a
slight degree, and the popular indignation which defaced or destroyed the
memorials of that emperor, may possibly account for the occurrence of this
tablet used as part of the cover of a sepulchral cist.
Mr. WebtwooD observed that, as he had been informed, the French
Government, with their accustomed liberality in the encouragement of all
purposes for public instruction, had, even in the present eventful crisis,
formed a Commission for collecting and preserving all the vestiges of
i occupation in France. It must be a cause of great regret to every
English archaeologist, that in our country the monuments of past times,
Roman, Saxon, or Medieval, so valuable as auxiliaries to historical enquiry,
were disregarded as neither worthy of the care of the Government, nor of
preservation in our National Depositories.
Dr. Bell, Phil. Dr., gave the following account of the establishment of
the Museum at Mayence, one of the most instructive collections in that part
of the continent, and remarkably rich in Romano-Germanic antiquities, lie
exhibited specimens of the admirable reproductions of objects of bronae,
jewelled ornaments, ace, produced with singular Bkillby Mr. Lindeschmidt,
in order to facilitate the comparison of the rarest types of the earlier
antiquities preserved in various remote continental museums, in cases where
originals might be unattainable, Thai distinguished antiquary has suc-
ceeded in supplying facsimiles not only perfect in form and in the most
minute details, but presenting the precise appearance of the metallic and
patinated surface,
"The beneficial re ultt (Dr. Bell observed) that must arise from a
synoptical and comprehensive riew of German objects of antiquity were so
nt) iii:,i , I fjongre oi the Aroheaological and Historical
Teutonic Societies, held at Main/., in L852, ii olved that two
., thai purpose should be founded ; a Mediaeval Mu eum at
Nurem which the verj large collection of Baron von ^.ufreea which
I thoro formed a valuable nucleu ; and a Romano Germanic Mir emu
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL INSTITUTE. 179
at Mainz. An extensive assemblage of the numerous Roman remains from
that neighbourhood already existed at Mainz, and for the furtherance of
the object the services of C. L. Lindeschmidt, an eminent historical
painter and an ardent archaeologist, were fortunately attainable. As it
was at once seen that the valuable objects in other museums or in private
collections could not be obtainable, the talents of that gentleman enabled
him to perfect facsimiles so exact that the eye can perceive no distinction,
and the touch alone has convinced many an observer that they were not the
original metal objects, as possibly the Members of the Institute will admit
upon the inspection of the following four specimens."
No. 198. A large bronze Celt found near Frankenthal, Rhenish Bavaria,
and now in the museum at Wiesbaden.
No. 204. A round Fibula, found in the Francic Graves of Oberolm, near
Mainz. Copper inlaid with gold, ivory, and pastas of red
glass, and bordered with studs of silver. The original is in
Mainz Museum.
No. 272. A large double Spiral Breast-clasp (Brust Spange) of bronze,
found at Little Hesebeck, near Uelzen, in Hanover, and like
the next in the collection of the Baron von Estortf, Chamber-
lain of H. M. the King of Hanover.
No. 310. A hanging vessel or ampulla found with the preceding, and
in the same valuable collection.
Mr. Hawkes communicated the following particulars regarding the
Manilla African ring-money, obtained from one of the principal manufac-
turers, Mr. Frederick Smith, of the Waterloo Works and Brass Foundry at
Birmingham, and accompanied by a specimen which closely resembles in
form certain examples of the so-called " Fenannular ring money," discovered
in Ireland. Upwards of 3U0 tons of manilla-money is now made in
Birmingham on an average in a year, for the African market. A vessel
freighted with these rings was wrecked upon the Irish coast near Cork, in
1830, and some of the manillas came into the hands of Mr. Sainthill, who
was struck with their close analogy to the rings found in Ireland. The late
Sir W. Betham made known this curious fact to the Royal Irish Academy,
and his observations may be seen in their Transactions, vol. xvii., p. 91, in
which he has given all the forms of" ring-money," which had fallen under
his observation in Ireland, from the small plain penannular ring weighing
only 12 grains, to the remarkable types with terminal cups, one specimen
weighing not less than 50 oz. of gold. He gives also a bronze manilla
described as found in Co. Monaghan, and one of iron, almost identical in
fashion, obtained from the wreck before mentioned.1 (These examples
closely resemble the sample of recent fabrication presented to the Institute
by Mr. Smith.j Sir William Betham states that in Western Africa such
rings with dilated ends, simdar to those manufactured for the purposes of
trade, at Birmingham, are made of solid gold.
" Manilla money (Mr. Smith observed) is manufactured in large
quantities in Birmingham and the district. Some years ago it was made
of cast-iron, but did not answer, I believe, in consequence of its having no
sound when struck. The specimen sent herewith is a sample of some ot
'See also Sir William BethamVEtruria Journal, Vol. vi. p. 56, and the curious
Celtica," .Mr. Lindsay's View ol the papers by Mr. Dickinson on African ring-
Coinage of Ireland, Air. Way's Memoir money in the Numismatic Cluouicle.
on Ancient Armilla; of Go.u, in tins
180
PROCEEDINGS AT MEETINGS OF
which I have made large quantities. The metal is a mixture of copper, tin.
ami spelter, although this varies very much with different makers, and main-
tons have been returned in consequence. The object is to produce a metal
at the least C08( that will, when manufactured, ring or sound when struck.
The regular bell-metal would be far too expensive a mixture. The patterns
vary both in Bize and shape, although the general outline of form is
ryed : it is merely the thickness of the centre, the size, and the ends,
that constitute the difference. I should imagine that the various sizes are for
different districts, as they are very particular in having them precisely
to pattern. The natives reject them for the least deviation, and will not
buy them from the merchants who export them. A peculiar feature in the
manilla which I send as an example, is the rough edge both inside and out,
which to a manufacturer would he considered a Haw in the casting, and
would at least be filed away, but if so filed, the manillas would be rendered
is ; it may be that the natives prefer the rough edge being left, so
that they may the hotter see the quality of the metal."
The Eon. Richard Neville sent a short notice of the latest results of
the explorations in progress at Chesterford under his direction. Not many
days previously, his workmen had brought to light at a depth of only
1 5 inches, a vase of white pottery, in the form of a jug, an ampulla of
glass of square form, and two dishes of Samian ware, both of which had
been broken in Roman times, and repaired by means of leaden rivets. The
patters' names are distinctly legible. — OF. SECVNDI. and CASSIVSCA. This
last supplies a correction of the mark previously given in this Journal
(vol. x., p. 233), in which amongBt the examples preserved in Mr. Neville's
Mo-' lim, this name had been read I A.88V3CA.
Mr. ('. II. Pubday sent a notice of the recent discovery of a sculptured
■ 1 ' ''
Oil. km •». ill D
,1, (e Cathedral, in the course of the works now
THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL INSTITUTE. 181
in progress, this ancient fragment had been brought to light. It lay
imbedded in the masonry, in the south-wall of the transept, which is
Norman ; but several alterations were made in it about the year 1300,
when the Chapter House was built against its south front. At that time,
n< Mr. Purday supposes, the cross may have been built into the wall. A
representation of this relique is here given from a drawing which Mr.
Purday has kindly supplied. lie stated that the cross seems to have been
quite a low one, probably placed over a grave ; the upper arrises are com-
pletely rounded off, as if by friction ; the workmanship is extremely rude
and irregular. The back of the cross is plain, with the exception of a
small round knob or boss in the centre. Some persons had been disposed
to regard this cross as of Saxon times, subsequent to the rebuilding of the
church and city of Carlisle by Egfrid, King of Northumberland, in 680.
The most ancient portion of the existing fabric formed part of the Priory
Church, commenced about 1092 by Walter, a Norman priest, to whom, as
it is supposed, the government of Carlisle had been entrusted by the
Conqueror. The church was completed about 1100 by Henry I., who
established the bishop's see there, and made the church a cathedral
in 1133.2
Mr. Westwood remarked that he was unable to recall any cross of
pre-Norman date bearing resemblance to the fragment found at Carlisle.
He thought that had it been of that early period, it would have presented
more of the character which he might designate as Northumbrian, analogous
to the Early Irish style of ornamentation. Mr. Westwood considered that
the cross might possibly be assigned to the twelfth century.
This fragment, it may be observed, appears to be part of a cross of the
Latin form, the transverse portion forming the top being possibly intended
to represent the Titidus. This, however, is very rarely, if ever, indicated
on early sculptured or sepulchral crosses, which are for the most part of
the Greek type, with the four limbs of equal length, and forming the head
of a long shaft. Amongst the few existing examples of early head-stones,
may be cited those found at Bakewell, figured in this Journal, vol. iv., p. 57;
at Rauceby, Lincolnshire, vol. x., p. 03 ; and at Cambridge Castle, Archaeo-
logia, vol. xvii., p. 228.
Mr. Ashdrst Majendie gave an account of some remarkable memorials
of the noble family of De Vere. He produced a carefully detailed drawing
which he had lately caused to be executed by Mr. Parish, of Colchester,
representing the upper slab of the tomb of John, fifteenth Earl of Oxford,
who died in 1539. The monument, of black marble, sometimes termed
" touch-stone," is in the middle of the chancel of Castle Hedingham Church,
Essex. On the top of this altar-tomb are sculptured in bold relief the
effigies of the earl in armour, with an heraldic tabard and the mantle and
collar of the garter, and of his countess, Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Edward
Trussell, in a rich costume, her mantle displaying the bearings of De Vere
with quarterings. The figures appear kneeling under a canopy, and this
sculpture occupies nearly half the upper surface of the tomb, the remainder,
above the figures, displaying a bold atchievement of the arms of De Vere
with six quarterings, impaling Trussell and Burley, quarterly. The
-An Ilis'orical Sketch of Carlisle would refer for more detailed particulars.
Cathedral has l>een recently published by London : Groombridge, Paternoster Row.
(be Very Kev. the Dean, to which we 12 mo.
VOL. III. >! >'■
L82
PROCEEDINGS AT MEETINGS OF
escutcheon is surrounded by the garter. The crest is the hoar on a
ehapeau, placed on a helmet ; the supporters are the harpy and the hart.
On the north and south Bides of this fine tomb are sculptured the kneeling
figures of their children ; of the former, on which appear the daughters,
Elizabeth, Anne, Frauncis, and (Jrsela, Mr. Majendie had the kindness to
bring a drawing by Mr. Parish, at the subsequent meeting. He expressed
the hope that an engraving of this tine memorial, a remarkable example of
the style of the Renaissance, without any mixture of Gothic character,
might be produced under the auspices of the Essex Archaeological Society.
Mr. Almack, of Melford, has engaged to prepare descriptive notices.
Mr. Majendie produced also coloured drawings by the talented antiquarian
draughtsman, John Carter, representing the sculptured chimney-piece
formerly at Gosficld Hall, Essex, and removed thither in 1687 from Bois
Hall, one of the seats of the De Veres. It had hecn stated that it was
taken from Gosfield by the Marquess of Buckingham to Stowe, hut all
inquiries had been made there without avail to discover whether it, still
exists. No representation of this sculpture appears to have been published,
and the drawings by Carter are well deserving of being engraved. Over
the chimney-piece were statues of Henry VII. and his queen, and in the
central compartment was introduced a spirited representation of the battle
of Bosworth Field, between liichard 111. and the Earl of Richmond, with
whom the De Veres took part. The two armies appear in the moment
when the conflict drew towards its close, the king lying prostrate before tlie
rictor in the fore-round, holding his crown. Amongst the combatants, as
nised by their emblazoned shields, there appear on the king's side,
the I 'like of Norfolk, who lies slain in the field, the Earl of Northumberland,
Sir William Berbert, Sir John Tyrcll, Sir Richard Etatcliffe, and Sir
William CateBby. With the victor ESarl are seen John, Earl of Oxford,
Lord Stanley and Sir William his brother, Sir William Brandon, Henry's
standard-bearer, Sir Gilbert Talbot, and Sir John Savage. The date of
the Bculpture is prohably of the early part of the sixteenth century. Mr.
Majendie exhibited al the same time a drawing of another relique of the
De Veres, a richly carved oak bedstead purchased by his father at Sible
Hedingham. At the head appears an escutcheon under a crown with the
lion and dra upporters, and initials which may he those of Edward
VI. — Iv — JO. Below is an heraldic achievement; De Vere and Trussell,
quarterly, with six quarterings as en the tomb above described. This bed
!- possibly of the time "f John, sixteenth Marl of Oxford, whose mother
■ i and i ■ • s of John Trussell. The Marl was Lord Great Chamber-
lain in the reig n of Edward V I .
^iniquities' anti RKoriutf of Sri iLTbiuitett.
By the Rev. W. li. Gi etneb. A photographic repre entation of a small
M \ i i;lii
[TALIS on;
MAMS.
.. \l. . BR] I
I RET! UH
POOS
...I ultar, di d .. Vntoniu Crctianu i" ih« Dchj Matrc . found
THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL INSTITUTE. 183
at Winchester during the last summer.'1 It has been subsequently published
by Mr. Roach Smith in vol. iv., part i. of his Collectanea Antiqua, the
original altar liaving come into bis possession. He haft given some valuable
remarks on the worship of tbc Deaa Matres, and various inscriptions found
in England in which they are named. Mr. Roach Smith proposes tbe
following reading in extenso, of that which has been found at Winchester.
" Matribus Italis, Germanis, Callicis, Britannicis, Antonius Cretianus Bene-
ficiarius Consulis restituit." Mr. Gunner states that this altar was found in
Jewry Street, in digging foundations for houses built on the site of the
south wing of the old county jail. Height, 19 inches; width, 8 inches.
By the Rev. Walter Sneyd. — Two remarkable specimens of the
enamelled work of the twelfth century, possibly by the artists of Limoges.
They represent two of the evangelistic symbols, those of St. Mark and
St. Luke, the lion and the ox. They are formed of gilt copper, and are in
high relief, having been formed possibly to be affixed to the binding of a
Textus, or Book of the Gospels, which they might serve in some degree to
protect in lieu of the bosses usually placed upon mediaeval bindings. The
design is singularly quaint and spirited. The animals have wings, and
each holds a clasped book.
In reference to a little inscribed plate of metal, in the collection of
Mr. Sneyd, exhibited at a previous meeting (see vol. x., p. 259) and of
which the use had not been ascertained, tbe following explanation has been
offered. Two objects similar in dimension and in the inscriptions which they
bore, existed in the Cabinet of Antiquities in the Library of St. Genevieve,
at Paris, and they are represented in the account of those collections
published by Du Molinet, in 1692 (Plate 18, p. 66). They are described
as Roman weights, sextulce, the sixth part of tbe uncia, and are noticed as
remarkable on account of the mode in which the inscriptions were produced
— "des inscriptions ecrites d'une maniere singuliere, qui n'est ni en creux
ni en relief, avec de l'cncre de pourpre sur de petites bandes d'argent." On
one were the words, salvis d.d. albinvs fecit, basilivs rep. and on the
other, Obv. salvis d.d. n.n. albinvs fecit. — Rev. salvis d.d. n.n. bas. fec.
Albinus and Basilius, tbe learned writer observes, were Masters of the Mint,
and the formula Dominis nostris indicates that these pieces were made in
the time when two emperors were ruling simultaneously, for instance,
Valentinian and Valens. The same propositi monetae, it will be observed,
are named on tbe sextula obtained by Mr. Sneyd, at Strasburg. Occa-
sionally, the heads of the two emperors occur on these Roman weights
(Cab. de Sainte Genev. pi. 18. Montf. Ant. Bxpl. tome iii., pi. 95).
By Mr. Brackstone. — Several antiquities of bronze, chiefly from Ireland,
comprising three bronze daggers, a serpent-shaped finger ring, three fibula?,
one of them of a bow-shaped Roman type, a small bronze spoon with round
bowl and pointed handle. (Compare plate xiii., fig, 12, in Akcnnan's
Archaeological Index). Also specimens of penannular bronze " ring-money "
from Ireland, one of them with trumpet, or cupped, ends ; it was found in
the County Cavan, in 1839, and was in the collection of the late Mr. C.
Loscombe ; the other, with oval or leaf-shaped solid ends, locality unknown.
These rings, in their dimensions, resemble small armlets, and the latter
3 Collectanea Antiqua, vol. iii. p. '27- ; ii. p. 193 ; and Mr. Wright's Memoir in
vol. iv. p. 41, pi. xiv. See also notices of tlie Journal Brit. Arch. Assoc, vol. ii.
the DtiL- Matres, vol. i. p. 136, and vol. p. 239.
184 PROCEEDINGS OP THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL INSTITUTE.
specimen is almost identical in form with the "manilla" ahove described
(see page 180), presented to the Institute by Mr. P. Smith.
By Mr. GrKORGE ROOTS. — Two objects of baked clay, of which the age
and intention has been ascertained. <me is a massive ring, presented to
the Surrey Archaeological Society by Mr. Jesse, accompanied by the
following particulars. " This ring was dug up in Richmond Park, by some
labourers trying to open a new gravel-pit, to the right of the road leading
from the Robin Mom,! gate to the Kingston Hill ladder-style gate. There
were twelve of them In all, carefully secured in a sort of cairn built up of
Btones, which are not to be found in the neighbourhood. Each of the
terra-cotta rings had a circumference of about 12 inches, with a hole in the
centre of from 1 \ or2 inches in diameter." A similar object found in the
churchyard of St. Nicholas', Wilton, was exhibited at a previous meeting by
Mr. Nightingale, and is described in this Journal, vol. .\i., p. 190, where
notices of other examples may be found. Rings of this description have
been found with Roman remains.4
Mr. Roots brought also for examination a cylindrical perforated brick,
belonging to Dr. Roots, of Kingston, who states that it was found some
years since at the spot called Caesar's Camp, on Wimbledon Common, and
near the site where spear-heads and weapons, funereal urns and pottery,
indicating Roman occupation, have been discovered. This object in form
resembles a small cheese, the diameter is 5\ inches, thickness o;(! inches,
diamet«r of the perforation ,: inch. Several " cylindres en terre cuite " are
d as found in Normandy, supposed to be of the Roman age, but their
dimensions are not stated. Mem. des Antiqu. de Norm. 1820. p. liii.
By Mr. ROHDE Hawkins. — An elaborately carved ivory box. with an
Arabic inscription; probably of Saracenic workmanship. A similar boz is
rved in the Treasury of Sens Cathedral. The inscription round the
top has the following signification:- Bail to him whose equal I never met,
upon whom I rely more than on any other, that generous man for whom,
whenever I came with a request, 1 never returned but with what contented
me, and with a joyful lace. — Also, a Venetian salver of damascened metal,
from the collection of the late Mr. Crofton Croker. It bears an enamelled
escutcheon of the arms of the Priuli family, and the initials, 1). — P. Hate,
X Vth century.
By Mr. Nightingale, of Wilton. — Two carvings in ivory, of which one
represents a kind of radiated ornament, or flower, supported by two winged
and eaglt -headed animal-: il resembles in design Borne of the curious sculp-
tures in marble at St. Mark Bj Venice, tl was found, as far as •■an be
:. lined, at Old Sarum. The other represents our Lord seated mi a
throne and riving the benediction; in his left hand is an open hook. The
character of the design resembles thai of the Byzantine school. — An ala-
tablet, found mar Salisbury! as it has been staled, at old Sarum.
(See * dcut.) It represent- a head with long hair and heard, the eyi
clo ed iii death, and apparently placed upon a circular object or ili.-k.
Above i a small naked figure, with the bands clasped, surrounded by an
aureola of pointed-oval form, and supported by two angels, now much
broken and defaced, who appear to hen towards Heaven this representation
i pint. Bi neath is the upper pari ofa figure, with upraised
i\.'l in the I ]<>ii. K. vol. k, p. 232 See alao Mr Artie' Duro
Arcl Bol Join nal, brivn, pi, 29.
ALABASTER TABLET, POUND NEAR SALISBURY.
Representing the lluad of St. JoLn the Baptist in a charger, St. Peter, and St. Thoiuaa
of Canterbury.
Dimena mi* of t'ue original, 10J by 7 inche*.
186 PROCEEDINGS AT MEETINGS OF
hands, apparently rising from a Bepulchre, Like an altar-tomb. On the
dexter Bide of the tablel appears St. Peter, with a key and book; on the
other side is a mitred figure vested in a cope, holding an archiepiscopal
cross-staff and a book. This probably represents St. Thomas of Canter-
bury. The date of this curious tablel is the XYth century.
Alabaster tablets, similar in dimensions, and in the general features of
design, have been noticed in several antiquarian works, and various expla-
nations of their import have been offered. The example produced by Mr.
Nightingale appears to correspond precisely with the object bequeathed in
L522 by ^gas Berte, of Bury St. Edmunds, amongst her household effects,
and described as a " Seynt Joh'is hede of alabaster with Seynt Peter and
Seyni Thomas and thefygur of Cryst." (Bury Wills and Inventories, edited
by Mr. Tymms for the Camden Society, pp. I 15, 255.)
In the Notes on this Will Mr. John Gough Nichols has fully detailed the
evidence which may be collected from various sculptures of this description.
Representations of such tablets may be found in Stukeley's Palseographia,
in Schnebbelie's Antiquaries' Museum (also given in Nichols' Hist, of
Leicestershire, vol. iv., p. 70, and Fosbroke's Encyclopedia of Antiquities,
p. G88). Two are given Gent. Mag., xciv., ii., p. 209, of which one be-
longed to the Rev. E. Duke, and the other is now in the possession of Mr.
.1. Bowyer Nichols, who has also a third not engraved, received by him
from the late Sir S. Meyrick, (Gent. Mag. xciv., i., p. 397.) Another,
formerly at Borrington, Somerset, ib described by Mr. Adderley, Gent. Mag.
xciv., ii., p. 292. In all of these the head of St. John the Baptist, of
large proportionate Bize, occupies the centre; it has been taken for the
Vernide ; the image of our Lord's face given to Abgarus alter the siege of
Edessa; and the first person of the Holy Trinity. The figure beneath has
been regarded as Chrisl rising from the tomb, and in the example given by
By it is B seated figure, naked, and the hands hound with cords. On
the tablel in Mr. Nichols' possession, the Agnus /)<> occupies this position.
In every instance the accompanying saints are St. Peter and St. Thomas
of Canterbury, one only excepted (Stukeley), on which the second is repre-
sented as St. Paul. On Beveral are seen in the back ground St. Catherine
and St. Helen. The four saints occur on the tablet above-mentioned,
which was exhibited by the late Rev. B. I »uke iii the museum formed during
the meeting of the Institute at Salisbury. Engraved Gent. Mag. tciv., ii.,
p. 209. Tic little figure above, Bupported by angels, is nearly similar in
all, in two instances (one of them represented ibid.) a youthful head only
appears, upheld in a napkin by the angels. On a tablet in the Aahmolean,
from Tradescant's museum, the head of St. John appears, our Lord rising
from the Bepulchre, and oo other figures whatever. It is described as
••the Vernacle." The import of this hagiotypio combination has not Keen
explained.
By Mr. Edward Chbnby.- An oblong tablel of bronze, probably of
Oriental workmanship; <»n one side appear, in low relief, the Savi ■
enthroned, the Virgin and St. John, and angels; the reverse is covered
with characters, partly in relief and partlj engraved, hitherto unexplained.
Their formi bear re emblance to those occurring on Gnostic objects, and
lo not appear to belong to any known language in the East. Dimen-
in. by '.' , in. The date has been conjectured to be about the
XNtli century, It was purchased bj Mr. Cheney in Italy.
i auoo A RusBO-Greek triptych found in L853 in
THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL INSTITUTE. 187
the churchyard of Christ Church, Spitalfields, having probahly hcen interred
with the corpse of some foreigner, a member of the Greek church. A
remarkable silver reliquary, supposed to be of Greek workmanship, was
found in 1831, suspended by a silver chain to the neck of a skeleton, in the
churchyard of St. Dunstan's, Fleet Street. On one side appeared St.
Helena; on the other, St. George. Representations of this curious encomium
were given in this Journal, vol. v., p. 166.
By Mr. Westwood.- — -Specimens of anastatic drawings, representing the
subjects of the legend of St. Guthlac, from the vellum roll in the British
Museum, of the latter part of the Xllth century, containing a series of
admirable drawings with the pen, illustrative of the life of that saint.
Representations have been published in Nichols' History of Leicestershire,
and in Gough's Croyland Abbey; a reduced facsimile of one of the most
interesting subjects is given in Mr. Shaw's Dresses and Decorations, vol. i.,
No. 16. Mr. Westwood observed that this Roll is of remarkable value as an
undoubted example of English design at that early period, lie took occa-
sion to state that, as he had recently been informed, the ivory crosier-head,
formerly in the Allan Museum at Newcastle-on-Tyne, and supposed to have
been brought from Easby Abbey, is no longer to be found. An account of
it may be found, with a woodcut representation, in Mr. Fox's Synopsis of the
Newcastle Museum, p. 181, and in Clarkson's History of Richmond, p. 362.
It has also been figured recently in Mr. Scott's Antiquarian Gleanings in
the North of England, pi. xiii. The diameter of the volute, in the centre
of which is the Agnus Dei, is stated to be 3-| in. It had been preserved at
the Museum of the Literary and Philosophical Society of Newcastle.
Mr. Franks remarked that this curious crosier had been sought for in
vain on the occasion of the meeting of the Institute at Newcastle in 1852.
Dr. Charlton stated that it had been missing since 1848, when the anti-
quities in the Museum of the Philosophical Society had been removed for
temporary exhibition at the Castle.
By Mr. Ashurst Majendie. — A casting in iron, representing Christ and
the woman of Samaria ; also, a large engraving of the west front of Cou-
tances Cathedral ; Mr. Majendie presented the latter to the Institute.
By Mr. W. Tite. — Two volumes, productions of the press of Ca.xton, in
the finest preservation, one of them being the " Myrrour of the World,"
printed in 1480; the other, the " Book of Fayttes of Armes and Chyvalrye,"
about 1493-4. Mr. Desborough Bedford (by whose kindness these speci-
mens of early printing were brought) pointed out in the former a representa-
tion of an arithmetician making calculations by aid of Arabic numerals.
By Mr. W. J. Bernhard Smith. — Three spurs, of which one with a long
neck, date about 1460; the others, with straight shanks, date XVIIth
century.
By Mr. W. R. Deere Salmon. — An iron spur, date about the reign of
Henry VI., accompanied by a note of Captain Boteler, of Llandough Castle,
co. Glamorgan, where it was found. In excavating foundations, about
20 ft. from the boundaries of the churchyard which adjoins the castle, ten
or twelve human skeletons were found, buried probably at some very distant
period. No tradition of such interment can be traced. They lay in separate
graves, E. and W., three excepted, which lay together: the graves being
cut out of the hard clay, about 4 feet below the surface; no trace of coffins
appeared, but a few fragments of charcoal occurred. The remains were
evidently those of adults. The spur was found at the same place, about
L88 PROCEEDINGS AT .MKF.TINtJS <>F
3 feet deep, not however in a grave. An old parish road passes between
the churchyard and the spotwhere these remains lay.
By the Hon. W. Fox Strangways. — A series of drawings by Mr. R. II.
Short, of Yeovil, representing a ver\ interesting example of domestic archi-
tecture in the earlier pari of the XV 1th century, Barrington Court, near
Siiuth Petherton, Somerset. It is now the residence of Mr. Peters. This
ancient mansion appears to have been preserved in its original condition,
with scarcely any "restorations." An account of it was given in the
Builder.
By Mr. T .WlLLSON. — Specimens of the knives found at Crovland, Lincoln-
shire, and traditionally supposed to have been of the kind given to visitors
of Crovland Abbey, on St. Bartholomew's day. This ancient custom,
abolished by Abbot John de Wisbech (1469 — 1476), had become an
onerous expense to the monastery. It had been introduced, as stated by
Gougb in his history of the Abbey, in allusion to the knife with which the
saint had been flayed. ( Bibl. Top. Brit. No. XI. p. 70.) Gough observes
that a number of these knives, found in the ruins of the abbey and in the
river, were in the possession of a local collector, and he gives representa-
tions of several, from drawings in the Minute books of the Spalding
Society. Mr. Willson brought also a local token, " The Poores halfe :
peny of Croyland, 1670," on the reverse of which appear three knives
with three whip-, the latter supposed to have been used by St. Guthlac.
By Mr. J. II. MATHEWS. — A small round plate of mixed metal, originally
enamelled, displaying the arms of Charles I., and probably intended to
be affixed to the central boss of a large dish or charger.
By Captain OaKES. — A small watch, of the. With century, in the form of
a shell; it bears the maker's name — " Tho. Reeue In Popes head Alev,"
and the initials B. P. A key, probably of contemporary date; and a seal,
with the device of an anchor passing through a heart, arc appended. Also,
a small relique, such as were worn l>v partisans of Charles L, a silver heart,
with a heart on one Bide transfixed by arrows in Baltire, and the posy — " I
Hue and die in Loyaltie." On the other side, a skull, with the initials, C.R.
— " Prepared be to follow mee."
Impressions from Seal-. — By the Rev. EDWARD Trollope.- Impressions
from two matrices found in Lincolnshire. One of them, of oval form, is of
had, and IB engraved on both Bides. The central compartment on one side
is in the form of the Norman or " kite-shaped " shield, and the device is a
fleur '1" l\ b. The inscription is as follows : — sigill' . ma . . . m,' | ? ) nichol',
I late, X 1 1 1th century. The work on the other side is of rude and probably
later execution : the device ia a leaf or branch 1 ?) with the inscription,
* -' j ■ • 1 r ' 1 . . , OR' ALA. This matrix was found in the parish of I'dankiiev, near
Lincoln. The second matrix was found in the adjacenl parish of Scopwick,
ubjecl represented upon it is the death of St. Peter, Martyr, murdered,
in 1252, near Milan, by the hired at assinsofthe Manicbee heretics, whose
principles be bad zealouslj opposed. The martyr appears in the Dominican
habit, kneeling, and one of the murderers, probably representing Carinus,
afterwards admitted into the Dominican convent at Forli, cleaves the head
of the Sainl with a sword.' Beneath is introduceda monk, kneeling. 'I he
B •' Livi ioI the Saints, April useful manual of tlie" Emblems of Sainta,"
uriot 1 r • "' ttioni p. I I 1 .
n hi 1 in • nbeth'a
THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL INSTITUTE. 189
following inscription indicates that his name was Warm. — svscipe : petre :
altvi : (?) devoti : vota : waiiini. This matrix is of hrass, of pointed-oval
form, with a ridge upon the reverse, terminating in a loop for suspension.
Date, XlVth century.
By Mr. Ready, 2, St. Botolph's Lane, Cambridge. — A small heraldic
seal of good design, of which impressions are preserved in the treasury at
Pembroke College, Cambridge. It is the seal of William Giflard, valectus
to the foundress, Mary, Countess of Pembroke, t. Edw. III. The bearing
is a lozenge within a double tressure flory and counter-flory. — SIGILLVM.
WILLELMI. GIFFARD.
By Mr. J. Gougii Niciiols. — Impressions from two signet-rings, bearing
as a device the " Jerusalem cross," or cross potent between four crosslets,
the insignia of the kingdom of Jerusalem, worn likewise on the mantle of
the knights of the Holy Sepulchre. fi This device is regarded as emble-
matical of the Five wounds of our Lord. On one of these rings, of gold,
purchased at Brighton, the cross appears between two olive branches, with
the word Jerusalem in Hebrew characters, beneath ; on the other, the
branches alone are introduced. The ring last-mentioned, which is of silver,
is in the possession of Mr. Thompson, of Leicester. These are supposed to
be memorial rings brought as tokens of pilgrimage to the Holy City.
March 2, 1855.
The Hon. Richard C. Neville, F.S.A., Vice-President, in the Chair.
Mr. W. W. E. Wynne, M.P., gave a short account of the discovery of
burnt bones at a circle of stones near Llanaber, Merionethshire. In the
excavations which he had caused to be made with the view of ascertaining
the character of that ancient site, he had found several flakes or chippings
of flint, with very sharp edges, possibly the points of arrows. No silex
occurs in the neighbourhood, Mr. Wynne also produced facsimiles taken
in plaster and gutta percha from the singular sword-like impressions on
two rocks near Barmouth, as described by Mr. Ffoulkes in this Journal,
vol. ix. p. 91. The place is called "the Field of the Swords;" and on
each of these rocks, which appear originally to have formed one mass, now
riven asunder, there appears an indent, about 2 ft. 7 in. in length, resem-
bling a leaf-shaped British sword. Tradition points out the spot as the
scene of a battle. Mr. Wynne observed that he had considered it possible
these cavities might be natural, arising from the structure of the rock, or
some fossil remains which had been imbedded in it. On submitting the
casts, however, with specimens of the rock, to the best authorities at the
Museum of Economic Geology, it had been decidedly affirmed that they
are not organic.
The Rev. J. Collingwood Bruce, LL.D., communicated some remarks
on the Roman Inscription discovered at Bath. (See p. 93, in this volume.)
The Hon. Richard Neville read a memoir on the deep shafts which he
had discovered at the Roman station at Chesterton. (Printed in this volume,
p. 109.)
A discussion ensued on the purpose of these singular pits, frequently
found near Roman sites. Mr. Octaviua Morgan, Mr. A. Way, Mr. Hunter,
the Hon. W. Fox Strangwaya and Mr. J. Gough Nichols, alluded to the
various opinions of antiquaries regarding them. Some suppose these shafts
,; Bonanni, Ordinum Equeatrium Catalogus, pi. 1 <>.">, 160.
VOL. XII. c c
L90 PROCEEDINGS AT MEETINGS OP
to be the cesspools of Roman dwellings : Mr. Thomas Wright regards
them as cloacae. The evidence appears strongly against the conjecture
that they wen" wells. They have been considered with some degree of
probability to have been silos — subterraneous granaries, similar to the
»' Mattamorea " in Barbary, in which the grain is deposited as soon as
winnowed. Shaw states in his Travels that two hundred or throe hundred
of these magazines occur together, the smallest containing four hundred
bushels. Dr. Russell Bays they abound near Aleppo.
Mr. OcTAViua Morgan, M.P., save the following account of a German
MS. chronicle of Strasburg, which he brought for examination, from the
library of Sir Charles Morgan, Bart. "This ancient German manuscript
■ n in the possession of my family for many years. How or when it
into our possession I do not know, hut it lias certainly been in the
library at Tredegar nearly a century.
" It is entitled ' Chronicles of all the most memorable histories and acts
of the city of Strasburg from the Flood to the year 1330.' The MS. was,
however, written about the year 1612, which is the latest date found in it,
and the binding also hears the date 1(>14. It must then have been com-
piled from earlier sources, though neither the authorities, nor the names of
either writer or artist are given. It is beautifully written in a minute
old German hand, rather flourished in some of the letters, which, coupled
with the different mode of spelling certain word-, renders it at times
difficult to read and understand. It is richly ornamented throughout with
elaborate illuminations, representing certain historical .subjects, of which
the title-page contains four, the portraits or figures of the Roman and
German emperors, some on horseback, and some on foot, and also with
heraldry, giving on the fly-leaf to the title-page, the arms of the city, and
red throughout the volume are the arms of all the Bishops, as well
as those of various cities. 1'rinces, and other persons. These illuminations
are well executed with the most minute delicacy, and the brilliancy of the
colours, ami the e\<|ui.-ite manner in which the gold ami silver are applied,
are well deserving of attention. It is written on paper of very tine quality,
and rather a yellowish hue, probably the result of age, ami it has tor a
paper-mark in the middle of the pages, a shield of arms surmounted by a
Crown, and from the bottom of the shield is dependent the golden lleere.
At the beginning ami end of the 1 k are Beveral fly leaves of marbled
paper of various Colours, which 1 think are early and rare specimens — the
hook al-o contains a minutely engraved bird's-eye view of the city of
burg, dateil I 597.
" It would nut hi' worth while to go through all the details of this MS.,
which i- inl I with vet e and poetry, which usually accompany the
illuminations, tt however begins with the Deluge, and here at the commence-
ment we have a new historical Pact recorded, \i/.., that Noah had a fourth
ion born after the flood, and of him do the Germans descend. Thil
fourth on of Noah was the great and mighty hero Tuisco, who, with thirty
other heroee and princes, his kinsmen, and much people, travelled out of
aero the water into Europe, ami to Germany, where he Bottled,
and divided that portion of the World ill i" 1 lu followers. IY"lil 'I'm CO,
do !' Teutonic nations derive both their origin ami name,
to our Chronicle. This To or 'I'm in is a verj ancient
. I think, mentioned by Tacitus as one of tin - od <>!
the German tril ■'■ to have prune from the earth, hot we
THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL INSTITUTE. 19]
have here a new parent assigned to him. Jajilict is not mentioned among
the emigrants, but Gomer, Tubal, and others of his sons are among the
thirty heroes, from one of whom named Albion, does our island derive its
people and name. Tuisco reigned 118 years, and instructed his people in
the art of writing. We are also informed that Treves is the oldest city in
Germany, having been built by king Trebectra, the son of Semiramis, who
fled from Babylon to escape from the solicitations of his mother, took ship
and came and settled at Treves. As the population increased the cities of
Cologne, Mayence, Worms, Strasburg and Basle were built, and that
Strasburg was a populous city 1200 years before the Christian era, and
came into the hands of the Romans at the time of Julius Cassar. It then
gives an account of all the Roman emperors, with their portraits, and the
kings of the Franks before and after the Christian era. The history of
the Cathedral is, that it was first founded by Clodoveus (Clovis) the forty-
eighth king of the Franks, a.d. 500; that being chiefly built of wood it was
burnt by lightning in 1007; that in 1015 the rebuilding commenced, and
that in 1275 it was all completed except the towers, that they were begun
in 1277 by Master Ehrwein of Steinbach, and in 1305 were carried up to
where the spire begins by John Hultzer of Cologne, when the master of
the works dying the work came to a stand, but that at length the tower
was completed by a native of Swabia. It also gives an account of all the
bishops of Strasburg (the see having been founded in 640), and their
armorial bearings ; the emperors of Germany, with their portraits and
arms, and the mayors and Stadtmeisters of Strasburg, who began in 1271.
Amongst many other historical events it records all the great conflagrations
in the German cities, severe winters, great storms, appearance of comets, <fcc.
The last event recorded is in 1327, when a dreadful fire suddenly broke
out in the house of a currier, in the Curriers' street in Strasburg, and
burnt down all one side of the street, and fourteen houses on the other. In
addition to these chronicles it gives the ordinances and forms of proceeding
in all the different councils and courts of Strasburg, and the oaths taken
by the various officers, and concludes with finely painted representations of
all the costumes of the different classes of society in Strasburg at the
period at which it was written. This is the most interesting and curious
part of the book, not only from the great beauty and minutely detailed
finish of the paintings, but because it is very rare to meet with a complete
series of coloured costumes, as well ceremonial as ordinary, of all the grades
of society, both male and female, from the chief officers and nobles to the
humble peasantry of any country at any period, and especially one so early
as the beginning of the XVIIth century."
Mr. P. Orlando Hutciiinsox, of Sidmouth, communicated a notice of a
sepulchral slab, in the middle aisle of the nave at East Budleigh church,
Devon, commemorating Joan, the first wife of Walter Raleigh, father of the
distinguished statesman and favourite of Elizabeth. She was the daughter,
according to Prince (Worthies of Devon, p. 530) of John I Make of Kxmouth.
Walter Raleigh originally resided, as it is stated, at Fardel, in the parish
of Cornwood near Plymouth, and having a lease of the farm and house
called Bays in the parish of East Budleigh, he removed to that place, where
Sir Walter was born in 1552. In his letter to Mr. Duke, owner of Hays,
written from the court in 1584, Sir Walter expresses his desire to purchase
the house in which he Mas born. Sir Walter was the second son. by a
second marriage ; his mother was Catherine, daughter of Sir Philip
i.92 PROCEEDINGS AT MEETINGS OF
Champernon. Tlie Blab, which appears to he of dark grey shite, measures
4 ft. !> in. by 2 ft. 8 in , and a cross flory is engraved upon it, resembling
rign the crosses usually found on memorials of an earlier date. The
character of this cross, as compared with the less skilful execution of the
inscription around the margin, has led the Rev. Dr. Oliver, who gives a
mentation of the dab in his " Ecclesiastical Antiquities in Devon,"
vol. ii. p. 64, to conjecture thai the inscription bad been cut over a more
ancient memorial. It is now greatly defaced by time, and partly illegible ;
the letters stand out on a sunk ground, which was doubtless tilled in with
dark coloured substance. The inscription, in large ornamental
character, is remarkable in this respect that the letters are reversed
throughout, reading from right to left, a caprice hitherto unexplained, and,
as it is believed, peculiar to this slab. — orate pro aTa [OHAkme ualeyii
VX(ORIS) WALT'] RA.LEYH . . . QVE OMIT X° DIE MENS* AVdVSTI (? ) ANNO DNI
MCC . . . Mr. Hutchinson stated the popular tradition that the head of
Sir Walter Raleigh was brought to Devonshire by his widow, and huried
under this slab at Budleigh. It was his desire, in his farewell letter to his
wife, that his remains should be interred either at Sherborne, or in Exeter
Cathedral, near his father and mother : his corpse was, however, taken to
St. Margaret's, Westminster, after his execution, and buried in the chancel.
Mr. Hutchinson sent, with a rubbing of the cross slab above described, a
sentation of the date 1537, in Arabic numerals of early forms ; it is
cut on the woodwork of the seat in the nave of Budleigh church, said to
been occupied by Walter Raleigh and his family. Also a representa-
tion of a rudely-incised slab in the south aisle, bearing the name, Roger
Vowles ( I ) without date.
Mr. Le Ki:i\ read a short notice of some fragments of the sculptured
- found at Bakewell, Derbyshire, during the restoration of the church.
He brought several drawings received from Mr. Barker, of Bakewell, repre-
senting three early Christian reliques which had been built in and used as
materia] in forming the piers and walls of the porch. Of these fragments
one is part of a shaft, with interlaced ornaments of a \cvy early type, but
only now present any sculptured work, the broad faces having
been cut away. The material is sandstone. Height of the fragment 33
Another is part ot the head of a cross, possibly a portion of that
now Btanding in the churchyard at Bakewell, and of which a representation
has been given, by Mr. Le Keux's kindness, in this Journal, vol. xi. p. 282.
The running moulding round the outer edge of this fragment is similar to
one now remaining on the upper pan of that shaft. Another fragment, of
.ii,'! tone, now present! three sculptured tacts, the fourth having been cut
Height, 35 inch It eems singular, Mr, Le Keux observed, that
remains of object acred a nature Bhould have been thus inconsider-
ately u ed a mere building material ; thej are evidently of an earlier age
than the sculptun d monuments <>l the Norman period. I te produced also n
rapbed representation ol part of the head of a cross of Norman work,
iting a curious mixture of interlaced with diaper ornament, which he
dered a new feature in work of the period.
Mi.1', i offered om< observations on old plate, which might he
: with interest in connexion with the r< earches of Mr. M
tablishing the li ti of a aj mark prior to the time whin thi-
ol the Gold until ' C pany commence. \l<- produced a mall
which had b igarded by ome per ona as a chalice;
THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL INSTITUTE.
193
it was found imbedded in the mud, in forming the docks at Newport,
Monmouthshire, about the year 1838. Tbe marks are the leopard's bead,
lion passant, the initials, G. W., and black letter capital, fft, indicating tbe
year 16G9, according to Alphabet XII. in the useful lists for which we are
indebted to Mr. Morgan, given in this Journal, vol. x. p. 36. Mr. Cowlnirn
brought also a salver, the date of which he was enabled to ascertain by the
same lists to be 16G7.
•Hnttquittr^ airtr KUorfcS of girt eyhtbttco".
By the Cambridge Antiquarian Society. — Two bronze weapons, from
the collection of the late Mr. Deck. One is a strong blade which had been
attached to the haft by four
massive rivets. Length, ^
11 inches ; width, near the
rivets, 4 inches. It bears
much resemblance to that
found in Shropshire, repre-
sented in this Journal, vol.
xi. p. 414. Found near
Maney, Cambridgeshire, in
the fen. The other is a
portion of a weapon of very
skilful workmanship. In
form and proportions it is
similar to those which
might be produced from
the stone moulds found
near Chudleigh, Devon, re-
presented in this Journal,
vol. ix. p. 185. The centre
of the blade is formed with three sharp ridges ; the haft was attached by two
rivets. Found near Waterbeach. A diminutive urn of the class designated
as " incense cups " by the late Sir R. Colt Hoare. It was found within a
large urn filled with fragments of bone in the " Twin Barrow," Bincombe
Down, Dorset. Presented to the Society by the Rev. J. J. Smith. Height,
1^ inches. Diameter, nearly 3 inches. On one side there are two small
perforations, as if for suspension. (See woodcut.) An account of the discovery
is given in the Communications to the Society, No. V.
By Mr. W. J. Bekxhard Smith. — A sculptured fragment, in Greek
marble, recently found at Rome near tbe catacombs. It appears to repre-
sent a horse.
By Mr. Franks.— Several bronze palstaves, found near Goudhurst, Kent,
three of them presented to the British Museum by Mr. S. Stringer. Eight
were discovered piled up in regular order, and they arc in remarkably
perfect preservation. They have no loops at the side.
By tbe Hon. RlCHARD Nevillk. — Several reliques of bronze found at
Chesterford and tbe Saxon Cemetery at Little Wilbrahain ; they con-
sisted of objects of personal ornament, a Roman ring of bronze, formed
to serve as a key, another bronze ring, kc. Mr. Neville also brought
a silver ring of the XVth century, lately found on the White Farm,
at Kingston Lacy, Dorset. On the facets of the head are engraved
l'.'l PROCEEDINGS AT MEETINGS OF
diminutive figures of St. John the Baptist, St. John the Evangelist, ami a
female saint holding a pyx with a conical cover, probably Mary Magdalene.
Another silver ring had been found in the same locality two years since.
Mr. Neville has recently added to his Dactylotkeca another ring of the same
as that from Kingston Lacy, with similar figures of St. John the
Evangelist and a female hearing a pyx. It is of silver, the hoop formed
with clasped hands, like the rings supposed to have been given at betrothals,
which usually bear inscriptions without any device. This ring, which had
been in the possession of the late Mr. Windus, was stated to have heen
fonnd in digging one of the cofferdams for New London Bridge.
By Mr. Bsinbken, of Sidmouth. — A bronze figure representing Chiron
with Achilles on bis hack. It was found in 1840 by some fishermen on
the beach under the cliffs near Sidmouth, on the Salcombe side of the river
Sid. Two representations of this singular relique, undoubtedly the head of
a Roman standard, may be seen in Gent. Mag., vol. xix. N. S., p. 505.
1 suffered by long exposure to the action of the sea, and some small
pebbles are still attached to it. The hit. arm is bent out of the original
position ; the legs of the centaur are broken, and the design is now with
difficulty to he understood. Chiron is probably represented as giving
instruction in held sports to the youthful Achilles, who appears to have
held a how, with a para zonium at his left side, and a parma slung between
hi- shoulders. The centaur's right hand may have grasped a hunting spear,
it new appears extended to a dog leaping up in front. Tins bronze measures
7 inches in height, including a square socket or 8captC8 below the figure, by
which it was atlixed to the shaft. Mr. lleinckcn ohscrved that this figure
had been, possibly, carried by a cohort of the second legion of Carausius.
'I he centaur appears to have heen the device of that corps ; it appears also
mi coins of GrallienUB, relating to the Legio II. Parthica. The animals
enumerated by Pliny as placed on Roman standards are, the eagle, wolf,
minotaur, hoar and horse, corresponding to the live great military divisions,
Objects of this description are of great rarity ; an example of the horse is
red in the c Irich Court Armory.' Roman coins have heen
rrequi ntly brought to light on the shore at Sidmouth, although no distinct
evidence of Roman occupation can now he traced on that part of the coast.
There '.ever, on tlie heights in that locality earthworks and other
vestiges which deserve examination ; the hill-fortress called Sidbury Castle
is distant about three miles to the northward.
By the Hun. \V. Pox Stranowats. The recent publications of the
Society of Antiquaries of the Grand Duchy of Baden, in which has been
given a Lithochromic representation of a. bronze Roman Btandard, in the form
of a caoricom. It was found in L850 at Otterschwang, near Pfullendorf,
in Baden. In the accompanying memoir by Dr. /.ell a copious mass of
curious information has heen brought together on Roman rigna and vexilla.
Mr. 8l called attention to the remarkable Roman structure illus-
: in another niimher of the 81 tl"' castle of Steinsberg, near
im, of octagonal form, built by Trajan, or at latest bj Caracalla,
HI. i trations, rol. i. pL ' 6 ' nd or Britannic Legion, it being re-
i thi l< opard, cordi ■ ! thai an I , lift . on a di f< at in
Domeiii.pl 64,65, Franconia in the timi ol \<> >< tus, buried
und at tin ■ a le. it «■ igha 71b., and mei m • i
i . found al 1 3 inche in hi i ;bt A ram occurs on
it of thi ■ i tndai d on Tj i inn.
THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL INSTITUTE. 195
and presenting an instructive example of the Roman system of fortification
as shown in Germany, a central insulated tower with a high and strong
enceinte. He ohserved that Skenfrith Castle in Monmouthshire presents
some analogy in its general arrangement. In the same publication by the
Baden Society is represented a singular effigy of St. Nothburga, existing
at Ilochhausen on the Neckar, a crowned figure, on an altar tomb. She
holds a serpent (?). from whose mouth hangs a branch or sprig of some
plant, and the same animal appears at bcr feet. This subject is accom-
panied by a memoir by C. B. Fickler. The advancement of Archaeological
Science in Germany, Mr. Strangways remarked, had been greatly promoted
through the intelligence of M. De Bayer, director of the Baden Society,
under whose care their transactions had assumed an important position in
Archaeological literature.
By Mr. J. T. Irvine. — Representations of a sculptured stone, found in
the island of Uya in Shetland. It appears to have been part of a head-
stone, and may be assigned to the times of the earliest introduction of
Christianity in the sixth century, — sketches of the upper portion of the
chancel-arch in the church of Kirk at Ness, North Yell, Shetland, dedicated
to St. Olave ; of a standing stone or maenkir in the island of Yell ; and of a
head-stone found at a spot now called the Kirks of Gloup, in Yell. Two
sketches of the Roman leaden coffin found, Sept. 1811, in the Old Kent
Road, London. It was ornamented with two figures of Minerva at top,
and two escallop shells at the foot, in relief. (Archaeologia, vol. xvii. pi. 25,
p. 334.) Also a specimen of elaborate medieval locksmiths' work, and several
coins.
By Mr. Eohde Hawkins. — A chess-piece, supposed to be a king, formed
of the tusk of the walrus. Date, Xllth century.
By the Rev. Walter Sxeyd. — A silver cross, exquisitely engraved. Date,
XlVth century. It had probably been fixed in a small pedestal, and used
in a private oratory. On one side is the crucifix, with demi-figures of the
Virgin and St. John introduced in the quatrefoiled extremities of the
transverse limb. On the reverse is seen the Virgin and infant Saviour, the
field enriched with an elegant fretty diaper. This beautiful little object
had probably been enriched with translucent enamel, now wholly lost.
By Mr. Edward W. Godwin. — Representation of two mural paintings in
Ditteridge church, Wiltshire, subsequently to the discovery previously
noticed in this Journal, vol. x. p. 78. One subject in the compartments
lately exposed represents St. Christopher, a mermaid is introduced in front
of the Saint's statf ; the other is St. Michael holding the scales of judgment ;
the image of Sin in one of them is very expressive. Also drawings of three
sculptured figures found some years since, built into an interior wall of the
Angel Inn, Marshfield, Gloucestershire. One of them is the Virgin, seated,
and probably formed the centre of a series. They are all crowned. Frag-
ment of a medieval dish of glazed ware, of highly ornamented character, pos-
sibly Moorish. It was found on the site of the Dominican Priory at Bristol,
and when entire the dish must have measured about 9i inches in diameter.
By Mr. Ootavius Morgan, M.P. — An episcopal ring of silver gilt, set
with a large cut garnet, and opening with a box to contain relies. Three
singular lanterns, one of bronze, of the later part of the XVIIfch century,
one of llispano-Arabic ware, with metallic glaze, and ornamented with
flowers, and a third of red glazed ware with yellow spots, possibly of
Flemish manufacture. — A folding viatorium, or portable sun-dial, of
ivory.
196
PEOCEEDIXGS AT MEETINGS
l'.v lir.W. IIyi.ton Longstaffe. — Representations of two sculptured frag?
■-. portions probably of crosses, existing in the church at Stainton-le-
Etreet, co. Durham. (See woodcuts.) Their date is considered by Mr.
WestWOod to be prior to the lXth century.
le of nave.
■ . co. Durham
• | fool
X. wall ol choir.
One of tbc fragments here represented is built in at an angle in the
. tbc other Bide visible is quite plain ; the second fragment is in the
North wall of the choir. A road, apparently Roman, ran through Stainton-
'. The church is placed on a kind of platform, and it is Burrounded
by remains of buildings still to be discerned beneath the turf.
Impressions from Seals. —By Mr. Robert Fitch, [mpression from a
seal lately found al Field Dalling, near Holt, Norfolk. It. i> of pointed
oval form, the device ;- a badger (?) ' bigill' * petrj * i>' dallingb, Date,
about L300. The family of thai name held lands in Dalling as early as
Pub John : Peter, on of Philip de Dalling, occurs about 30 Hen, III.,
and I I Edw, I. Eu tace, son of Peter de Dalling, occurs 2 Edw. 111. The
owner of this teal may have been one of the Rectors of Dalling, the form
being thai usually adopted by e< William de Dalling was
Rector in L333 (Blomefield, vol. ix. pp. 219 2 '
Bj Mr. Readt. An extensive collection of casts from Beals of the
Imperial cries, commencing with the Beal of Charlemagne, ll. 800, and
or, and comprising the greater pari of the
ificenl Imperial eals ol the JCIVth and XVth centuries. Tl arlier
■ • ome remarkable illu trations of the use of antique
or copies from antiqui . in the Carlovingian age A seal of con
•iderable inten t to the Engli h collector i thai of Richard, Earl of
of the B hi , I 157, from b remarkably perfect impn
. on ilo- continent,
THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL INSTITUTE.
197
The objects found in
April 13, 1855.
The Hon. Richard C. Neville, F.S.A., Vice-President, in the Chair.
Mr. Neville read the following account of Roman sepulchral remains
lately found in Essex: —
" In consequence of information received, I rode over on the 2nd April
to Ilatfield Broad Oak, Essex, to visit Mr. Thomas Cocks, surgeon, and
inspect Roman remains in his possession, discovered in the parish of Take-
ley, which intervenes between Hatfield and that of Stanstead Mountfitchet.
I accomplished my object, and in the course of a few days received from
Mr. Cocks a sketch of the articles found, with a memorandum of the date
and circumstances of the discovery. The following are the particulars sent
to me, with my own observations on the objects discovered, and an account
of another funeral deposit of similar nature more recently found in the
same neighbourhood.
" Mr. Cocks says — ' In compliance with your request, I send you draw-
ings of the articles found in a field belonging to Mr. Harvey Clarke, not far
from the road near Takeley Church; they were deposited in a box about 3
feet long by 1^ deep, and fastened by the brass hasp now in my possession.
The box was about a foot and a half from the surface. It was found by a
labourer employed in land-ditching, January, 1849. The box was greatly
decayed, and the fragments crumbled to pieces.'
it are as follow, and
the accompanying
woodcut shows their
relative position in the
chest : — A circular
basin of green glass
(a), with fluted sides,
terminating in a le-
mon-shaped pointed
end. This is in the
possession of Mr.
Clarke, the farmer,
and I did not see it;
in this basin stood a
circular glass bottle,
about 8 inches high, and nearly 4 inches in diameter, with a reeded handle.
This bottle was full of clay, the soil
of the place, and the inside of the basin
bears marks on its surface made where
the bottle stood when discovered. Re-
mains of probably an urn of sun-dried
blue clay, (d) full of fragments of cal-
cined bones; the clay of which it was
made was full of fragments of shells,
or pjobably granulated with small peb-
bles, of which kind of pottery I have
many specimens. Two saucers of plain
Samian ware. (n. c.) with potters' marks,
op. ponti. and martiali. m. Under each of these dishes were four
VOL. XII. d i>
o
^
19S PKOL'HEDINCS AT MKETINCS OF
rings of plain brass, not finger rings, but probably part of some personal
ornament of the persons buried. Similar rings arc of frequent occurrence
in my experience among Roman remains. Mr. Cucks appealed surprised
when I assured him they were net what has been frequently termed • ring
money.' Two second brass coins; (p. p.) one of Vespasian, one of Domitian;
the former coin baa been struck imperfectly with the head of the emperor
on the reverse a- well a- obverse, which is properly stamped. The positions
I'- objects are marked in the Bketch, described a- fragments of
lamps (i:. i:. . butof these I know nothing further.
" The other discovery to which 1 have alluded took place in the end of
last February, or beginning of March, on the property of Win. Fuller
Miithunl. Esq., of Stanstead. The spot where it occurred is in Takeley
parish, near the borders of Hatfield, or, as it is called there, Takeley
Forest, about two miles to the south-east of Mr. Maitland's residence. Some
labourers were employed in stubbing an old hedge; an oak stood upon a
small mound in the middle of it; under this tree the men found, and unfor-
tunately broke most of the following objects, now in Mr. Maitland's posses-
sion, which I baveseen and examined: — A circular lamp of bronze, with a
lid and top, about 2 inches high and 2 in diameter; this is uninjured,
a- well as a cup of the same metal in form like a modern drinking
lioiii, heing nearly 4 inches high, and not quite 1' in diameter at bottom and
top. Fragments of several other bronze vessels were shown to me, amongst
which I traced four different one-; the most perfect of these has a bronze
horizontal handle, ornamented, in Bhape like one found in Thornhorough
harrow, Bucks, by the Duke of Buckingham, now in my possession, which
ha- belonged to a flat pan in both instances, probably Bacrificial. I also
saw fragments of two glass bottles very much shattered. The only vessels
of pottery found were an embossed Samian bowl, which, though broken,
has been \> ry nearbj restored. It has the usual festoon and tassel border,
and medallions, each containing the wolf and twins; no maker's name
appears upon it, hut there e fragments wanting, which prevents my
asserting there ha- been none. A Hat dish of plain Samian ware, with
potter's n ime, liASCI i.l. If., and a -mail \e--el of the same manufacture, of
peculiar shape. It is circular, rather more than - inches diameter al top
and bottom, and a- many in height, being in Bhape like a box with a circu-
lar hole in the top hi'.:; enough to admit the thumb. The ed^es of this
aperture are smooth and rounded, and the ware is perfect. I have never
• 1 of similar form, hut ha\e no doubl it is an unguentarium, for
which it i- well adapted. No trace, of a wooden chest were observed) hut
these might easily escape the notice of the labourers. The ground was
afterward.-, examined in the vicinity of the mound without Ending further
remains. Possibly when the pi [nolo ed, a nip of timber wa left
standing to serve as a hedge, and the mound, which wa- no doubl a BmaU
tumulus, would thus remain uiuli t m bed. The lite of this discovery is
• n two and three miles from thai where the deposit first described was
found.- -In December, 1851, s ra e of light green coloured glass, with a
ottom, in shape like an oval de »ert di b, and with fluted Bides, re em«
that in the po e ion of Mr. Clarke, of Saffron Walden, was exhibited
.' the Sooietj of A ntiquai ie bj Mr. Roach Smith. It was
de ci ound in Takelej Forest, which appeal to be rioh in Roman
dr. ( ' al o informs me that Mr. Robert Judd, a farmer 01
II. di. While Rod ing, distant two mile to the south of Hatfield, haa
. nuracrou o( fictile ware, amongst which he mentioned lamps.
THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL INSTITUTE. 100
objects of comparatively rare occurrence. White Roding is close to Match-
ing, about five miles from Harlow."
Mr. Blaauw communicated a note addressed to him by Mr. R. G. P.
Mintv, of Petersfield, relating to the discovery of Roman remains, about
two miles N. W. of that place, and in the parish of Froxfield, Hants. The
site is near an encampment which has been assigned to the Roman period.
.Some labourers had recently brought to light a place resembling a shallow
bath, about 3 ft. 7 in. square, paved with Roman flanged tiles (16 in. by
13 in.), placed with the flanges downwards, and lined with a row of similar
tiles. The depth of the cavity, when examined by Mr. Minty, was about
13 inches, the width of a tile, and at the N.W. angle were remains of
imbrices, placed to serve as draining tiles on the level of the floor, and
apparently communicating with an adjacent fosse. The subsoil is stiff clay,
which would retain water for a considerable time. Near the spot where
the drain would open into the fosse, now part of a lane, fragments of
Saurian and other Roman wares were recently found. On a second
visit Mr. Minty found the whole taken up and broken in pieces through
wanton mischief; he had, however, secured specimens of the tiles, which are
well made, and the flanges cut so that the tiles might dovetail together; a
portion of the flange being cut away from the lower as well as the upper end,
a mode of adjustment not invariably found in Roman tiles of this kind in
England. The camp is of small size, in a strong position, defended by a
triple fosse on the N. W. side and a single fosse on the S. E.; it occupies
the termination of a range of heights overlooking a valley of considerable
extent. On the N. E. side no line of defence is apparent, but Roman tile
abounds, with remains of rubble-work, apparently foundations. Earth-
works, tumuli, and other vestiges, occur in the adjacent district.
Mr. W. D. IIyltox Longstaffe, F.S.A., author of the History of Dar-
lington, sent a memoir on the church of Norton, in the county of Durham.
It will be found in this volume, p. 141.
The Rev. J. Maugiiax, Rector of Bewcastle, Cumberland, communicated
a memoir on the sculptured cross at that place, and the interpretations of
the Runes engraved upon it, hitherto unexplained. They have become in
great part legible through the results of an ingenious process for many
weeks carried on under his care, in order to detach the lichens with which
the stone is encrusted. Mr. Maughan has very kindly presented to the
Institute a cast from the principal inscription, and drawings of this
remarkable cross. His memoir will be given hereafter.
Mr. Westwood read a letter from Mr. Shurlock, of Chertsey, relating to
the discoveries of decorative pavement tiles on the site of the Abbey Church,
where extensive excavations are actually in progress. Very numerous frag-
ments have recently been found; they are all of the same elaborate design
and artistic character as the examples, of which Mr. Westwood had pre-
viously exhibited careful delineations by Mr. Shurlock. (See page 96, in
this volume.) Amongst these tiles, which appear chiefly of the close of
the XHIth century, there occurs a crossbowman mounted, his saddle being
formed with singularly high projection before and behind, in order to give a
firm seat and enable the rider to take steady aim. Mr. Hewitt observed
that mounted arbaletriers appear in illuminations; for instance, in Roy. MS.
20, D. i., in the British Museum.
Mr. Hawkins related the following singular discovery of gold coins, and
the liberal proceedings of the Government on this occasion in regard to the
rights of Treasure-trove: —
200 PROCEEDINGS AT MEETINGS OF
•• A few weeks since, as a servant was chopping wood, the log of wood
which had served for B chopping-block for several years, suddenly split, and
out flew fifty guineas of the reigns of Charles II. and James II. These were
at once sent to the Lords of the Treasury, who, having allowed the British
Museum to select Bucfa as were required for the national collection, sent
back to the proprietor the remainder, and also the amount paid by the
Museum for the Belected pieces. It is hoped and believed that the liberality
displayed by the Lords of the Treasury, upon this and other similar occa-
sions, will be a mean- of preserving from destruction many objects of interest
and value. It is highly desirable that these proceedings of the Treasury
should be as extensively known as possible."
Mr. Neville observed thai so gratifying an evidence of the disposition of
ivernment to carry out a more liberal course of proceeding in reference
to Treasure-trove, and to adopt the practice which had been attended
with most advantageous reBults to archaeological science in Denmark, must
be hailed by the Institute with lively satisfaction. The judicious and
energetic proceedings of their noble President, and the interview which the
Premier had given to Lord Talbot, accompanied by a deputation from the
Society, in which he (Mr. Neville) had taken part, as also the Viscount
Strangford and some other leading members of the Institute, with the
Bpecial object of soliciting the attention of Government to the evils which
arise from enforcing that ancient right of the crown, had doubtless contri-
buted to this result. Mr. Neville remarked, however, that antiquaries were
especially indebted to the unwearied remonstrances and mediation of Mr.
Hawkins, who for many years had earnestly exerted himself to bring about
a more lenient and enlightened course of proceeding in such cases.
A conversation ensued regarding the ultimate destination of the museum
formed byMr.C. Roach Smith; — the importance of such a classified series
of illustrations of the progressive manufactures and arts of the chief city of
England, the habits and manners of its inhabitants at various periods, and
al interest of the collection, formed exclusively in London, in its
bearing on historical inquiries, and the exemplification of all that concerns
icial condition or civilisation of the metropolis in former ages. In
reply to an inquiry by Mr. Westwood, it was stated by Mr. Hawkins that
the b the British Museum had refused the offer of these collec-
tions, which bad been tendered through the President of the Institute, Lord
Talbot, in conjunction with Lord Londesborough and Sir John Boileau.
Mr. Roach Smith'- offer of his museum, at the amount whioh he had
actually expended, had been declined, it is understood, without anj proposi*
tion for further negotiation, or explanations of the grounds on whioh so
valuable a means of public instruction bad been rejected.
flntfqttftfaf anS BBfafM at cut ninbttro".
Mr. .1. Sates. A collection of antique terracottas, belonging to Mr.
• , brother of the poet, and compri i and ornaments
everal of 1 emble the examples pre*
. in the Briti b Mu eum, and engraved in th" Beries published by the
late Mr. Taylor Combe. Mr. Yates brought also a drawing of the Norman
keep it R e, York hire, bj Mr. Moore, of York.
• . througb kind permissi f the Rev. S. B
irid hire. — A bronze galeated bust, found in a
! pit with mucb broken Roman pottery, in the parish of Cottenham;
i the ancieut watercourse, supposed to be part of the outhern
THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL INSTITUTE.
201
extension of the Car Dyke. (See Mr. Babington's Ancient Cambridgeshire.
Publications of the Cambridge Antiquarian Society, 8vo,p.G5.) This remark-
able relique of Roman art may have been one of the Imperial busts which
were attached to Roman standards. It measures 8 inches in height, and is in
very perfect preservation. It deserves notice, as Mr. Franks observed, how
many Roman antiquities of a fine character of art or workmanship have been
brought to light in Cambridgeshire. He cited especially the bronze bust
for a stilyard weight, in Mr. Neville's museum, another in the possession of
Mr. Litchfield of Cambridge, the bronze vases and prcefericulum found some
years since near Trumpington, and now in the Library at Trinity College,
the reliques disinterred in the Bartlow Hills,
the vase of Arrhetine ware found at Foxton,
in the Museum of the Cambridge Antiquarian
Society, and the rich contents of the Ustrinum
excavated by the Rev. Dr. Webb at Litlington.
By Mr. Franks. — Two objects found in the
Thames, — a small bronze two-edged blade,
suited for a knife or dagger, length only 6
inches, and a bronze sheath, length 8 inches,
much resembling that found in the lsis, near
Dorchester, figured in this Journal, vol. x., p.
259. (Fig. on right side of the page, the bluntly
pointed sheath without ornament.) A third,
found in the Thames, is in the Museum of
Practical Geology, it was presented by Dr.
Roots; and there is one, not quite perfect, in
Mr. C. Roach Smith's Museum, figured in his
Catalogue, p. 81. A similar bronze sheath is
in the Collection of Irish Antiquities formed
by Mr. Wakeman, at Dublin. Mr. Franks
pointed out that in the example exhibited, as
likewise in some others, there are round holes
at about mid-length, a short distance from the
central ridge, not pierced one opposite to the
other, so as to form a continuous perforation
through the sheath, but alternately, that on
one side of the sheath being on the dexter side
of the ridge, that on the reverse on its sinister
side. Plugs of wood usually appear in these
holes, the intention of which has not been ex-
plained.
By Mr. Way. — A representation of the
sculptured coffin stone or grave slab, now pre-
served in the vestibule of the Fitzwilliam
Museum, at Cambridge. It closely resembles
the slabs found in Cambridge Castle, when great
part of it was destroyed in 1810. There were found at the same time two
stone coffins, head-stones with plain crosses, and the head of a cross, such as
were placed erect in cemeteries; this iast is now in the Architectural
Museum, Canon Row, and has been figured in this Journal, vol. xii.,
p. 70. Almost all these reliques present the same character of ornament,
the gutlloches or the simple interlaced riband pattern, crosses at both ends
of the slabs, «fec. All the slabs are wider at the head than the foot.
Coffiu slab found at Cambridge
Castle.
Length, S ft. 4} in. Bremlth at top,
Jl iu.; at foot, Hi in.
20:2
i'i:dci-:edinc;s at meetings of
Silver bl ' ■ 'i il size.
d have been engraved in the Archaeologies vol. xvii., p, 22S, with a
notice by the late Rev. T. Kerrich, whose original drawings and notes of
the discovery exist in the Brit Bias., Add. MS., 6735, fol. 189, 190.
The Castle at Cambridge was built by the Conqueror; these remains
were Found under the original ramparts, and their date may be assigned
to the Xtli century. The Blab here represented was dug up more recently,
10 or 12 feet from the foundation of the castle, to the south. It lay nut-
side the castle, in gravel, at a depth of about G feet, and in the direction of
north and BOUth. Date, about Xth century.
By Mr. Yi i.i.i amy. — Two bronze swords, lately found in the Thames, and
now preserved in Mr. C. Roach Smith's Museum. Also a bronze Roman
armlet, found in London, from the same collection.
By Mr. WESTWOOD. — A. drawing of a small round brooch of silver, pre-
served in the British Museum, and bearing the
inscription — ►£< r.i.n.n v mi: an. — JElfgyvuowns
me (Aug. Sax. agan, to own.) It was found
about ls!4 at Chatham. The name JElfgyvu,
Mi'. Westwood observed, occurs on the Bavoux
Tapestry; Stothard's plates, Vetusta Monum.
vol. vi., pi, 4. Mr. Westwood brought also a
benitoire, or small holy-water vessel of crystal,
of the XVIIth century, engraved on the re-
verse in the same manner as the circular
••magic crystal" of King Lothaire (A.D. 954
— 9SG), formerly at the Abbey of Vasor, and
lately purchased for the British Museum at the
Bernal sale. On this object the history of Susanna appears, cut in intaglio,
and seen through the crystal. Over the central subject is inscribed —
" Lothariusrcx Francorum fieri jussit." The vessel shown by Mr. Westwood,
a- an earlier example of the same kind of art, presents the instruments of
the Pas inn — the cross, scourge, verniclo, sponge, spear, ladder, hammer,
pincers, chalice, three dice, the cock on a pillar, the purse, lantern. Beam-
Bword, with the ear of Malchus. At the foot of the
.ire three nail-. Mr. WestW 1 produced a drawing of a painted
panel at Cassington Church, Oxfordshire, on which the symbols and instru-
ments of our Lord's Passion are Bhown in marlv the Bame manner.
By the Rev. W \i.i eh Snei d.- - The horn of an ox. mounted in uilt metal
as a drinking horn, thus inscribed around the mouth — <©p; utaato: laha:
inth : a: maato: <5ra: nuh: lonotic. (or Ioitooc), which may be rendered
Qp inii-t thou take me, and see me all round: or. Up should 1 betaken,
and ee me empty. On another hand of later date is written,— grvndb :
i : L764. Grunde sun of Olaf or Olaue of Ousta( This
bom i - suppo ed to be Danish, probably of the X \ th century .
I'.v Mr. Robebi Ma< Adam. A representation of a powder-horn, of dark
coloured or bog oak, with hand-, and foliated ornaments, interlaced work,
a e , oj horn, fastened oubj pega of the ame sub tance, which pass entirely
through the wooden horn. Some of the ornament approaches in character
to thai of a ren earlj period, but the date of the horn is probably about
tonnd in the county of Antrim. It will be figured in the
i ■ Joui n. il of Archaeology •
•i • horn Found in Iceland,
I l ■ ; , ..a which inter
■ in i.uji '1
with ■ oroll foliations. The traditi >i an
eai in r ■ i \ I. hi ornament* maj be not ic< ■!
mi obji oi made in Scotland, as al o in
THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL INSTITUTE. 203
By Mr. Octavius Morgan, M.P. — A gold enameled hunting watch, date
1630, or 1640. The four subjects on the front, back, and inner side of
the lid and case, represent the chief incidents in the Episode of Tancredi
and Clorinda in the " Gierusalemme Liherata " of Tasso.
By Mr. Hewitt. — Two powder-flasks, and &rondache of cuirbouilli, em-
bossed with armed figures on horseback on both sides, and with a steel
spike. From the Bernal collection. Of the former, one is of delicate
Italian marqueterie work, the other is German. The buckler is remarkable
as having a small lantern attached to the upper edge. There is an Italian
target, date about 1540, in the Goodrich Court Armory, formed with an
aperture for a similar adjustment, an expedient used in nightly conflicts.
Skelton's Illustrations, vol. i.,pl. 52.
By Mr. W. J. Bernhard Smith. — A birding-piece of the time of Charles I.
— A carving in oak, representing the adoration of the Golden Calf; the
Demon appears playing on the violin, whilst the Israelites are dancing.
Impressions of seals. — By the Rev. II. T. Ellacombe. — Facsimile of
the seal of John Iluse, taken from a document in Mr. Ellacombe's pos-
session. The seal is of circular form, and presents an escutcheon charged
with these arms, Barry of six, erm. and — within a bordure escalloped.
►Ji s'ioiiankis : hvse. The bearing, harry of six, erm. &nd gules, but without
a bordure, was borne by various branches of the family of Hussey, anciently
settled in Dorset, Wilts, and other parts of England, and it is quartered by
Edward Hussey, Esq., of Scotney Castle, co. Sussex. Mr. Ellacombe
stated that the " Johannes Iluse, dominus de Charlecumbe," to whom this
seal belonged, was living in 1240, as ascertained by the Prepositi of Bristol
named amongst the Avitnesses to the deed. The manor of Charlcombe near
Bath was held at the time of the Domesday survey of the Abbey of Bath
by William Hosett or Ilosatus, and by his descendants subsequently for
several generations.^
By Mr. Ready. — Facsimiles taken in gutta percha from two impressions
of the seal of Richard, Duke of Gloucester, who succeeded as king Richard III.
It displays an escutcheon of the arms of France and England, quarterly,
with a label of three points. Helm and lambrequins, with the crest, a lion
statant. The supporters are two boars. — Jjtgtlltim . magnum . ritarti .
fcucts* . Cjlouccs'trte. This is one of the numerous acquisitions obtained by
Mr. Ready in the Treasury at Queen's College, Cambridge, to which, as
also to the muniments of several other colleges, he has liberally been per-
mitted to have access.
Annual Report of the Auditors, Mat, 1845.
We, the undersigned, having examined the accounts (with the vouchers)
of the Archaeological Institute, for the year 1854, do hereby certify that
the same do present a true statement of the receipts and payments for that
year, and from them has been prepared the following abstract, dated this
5th day of May, 1S55 : —
(Signed) Geo. Gilbert Scott.
Wm. PaBKBB IIamond, Jun
I
Audito
rs.
Inland. Compare the Highland powder- Ml. Madox gives a lease of land in
horn, presenting features of a very early Ceorlecumbe to William Hosett by
age, but dated 1685, probably its real date. Wlf wold and (Elfsig, abbots of Bath, to-
Wilson's Prehistoric Annals, p. 221. wards the close of the reign of the Con-
9 Colliuson, Hist, of Somerset, vol. i. p. mieror. Form. Angl. p. 7;?.
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VOL. XII.
UR0P8HIR]
I.. .1 v I. Il.'.l
ilotias of Srrhacologtral publication*.
ANTIQUITIES OF SHROPSHIRE. By the Rev. R. W. Eyton, Rector of Ryton.
London : John Russell Smith, :!(>, Soho Square. B. L. Beddow, Sliitl'ual. Vols,
I. and II. 8vo. With Illustrations of Early Architectural Examples, from
Drawings by the Rev. J. L. Petit. (Three hundred copies only printed.) 1854-55.
To be completed in Five Volumes.
We regard with cordial satisfaction every exertion that is made to extend
our knowledge of county history. The minute details into which the topo-
grapher is necessarily obliged to enter, contribute very essentially to the
enlargement of historical truth ; and of all kinds of histories, there is none
can interest us more than those relating to spots and districts with which we
are individually familiar. But in the volumes before us we discover more
than the common attractions of topography, inasmuch as Mr. Ey ton's
labours throw new light upon one of the most interesting counties in Great
Britain, hitherto too much neglected in the course of Archaeological investi-
gation, and introduce its medieval antiquities for the first time to public
notice.
It is not a little remarkable that so extensive a district as Shropshire
should, up to the appearance of the present work, have received less atten-
tion than any other portion of England. Yet its claims on the score of
interest can yield to none. Indeed, in many of those points to which the
historian chiefly directs his attention, such as the antiquities of the earlier
ages, the British battle-fields, vestiges of Roman occupation, manorial and
genealogical research, the county of Salop is pre-eminently attractive.
At the commencement of the xvmth century a Shropshire gentleman
began to search amongst the public documents for the illustration of his
native county. The result of his labours lay in obscurity for a considerable
length of time, and it was not until a very recent period that the original
manuscript was discovered, though two or three transcripts were in existence.
One amongst Gough's manuscripts in the Bodleian was frequently consulted.
Mr. Eyton's work is carried out very much on the same plan as these collec-
tions made by Mr. Mytton, being, like his, essentially written from unpublished
archives in the custody of the Master of the Rolls, or amongst private
evidences. The author, therefore, of the "Antiquities of Shropshire."
has rendered the county an important benefit by communicating the result
of his labours in that rich and almost unexplored mine of information. If
he had done nothing more than print a series of extracts from the evidences
belonging to the people of England, he would have deserved the thanks of
an enquiring public, by rescuing these facts from ultimate oblivion — to
which all facts are inevitably consigned as long as they remain in manu-
scripts and confined to perhaps only one record. But be has done more, for
by taking up his history at the period when the author of " Salopia
Antiqua " left off, and giving his toil to events which rest on the indubitable
testimony of official statements, he has greatly augmented our knowledge of
the medieval history of Shropshire.
208 NOTICES OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL PUBLICATIONS.
As far aa tills work has proceeded it IS entitled to our warmest appro-
bation, for the very clear and simple method of its arrangement, and for
the BOUndnt SB with which the author has in many cases of difficulty arrived
at his conclusions. The history of the peculiarly interesting and picturesque
town of Bridgnorth is followed out with much care. We seem to have
the very freshness of the Pipe Rolls themselves in the whole of this section,
but placed so methodically before us that the student may draw from
this undiluted Bource with refreshment and additional knowledge. The
squabble- between the Ecclesiastics of the Burgh, and the intercourse
held with the town by king John, are very fully set forth, and this portion
is so complete, that we regret more space had not been given up to the
history of Robert de Belesme, whose name above all others is prominent in
it- earliest annals.
As the value of this unpretending and laborious work becomes known,
and it- progress advances, it will satisfactorily remove the stigma from
Shropshire, that it possesses no county history, and show to the literary
world that they owe works of this nature to the unselfish energies of private
gentlemen, who, like the late Mr. Blakeway, Archdeacon Owen, Mr. Rowlands,
and Mr. Bartshorne, can find time from the labours of their profession, to
devote their talents to the investigation of the history of their own county.
Mr. Petit, with bis usual freedom of pencil, and his desire to forward
Mr. Byton's labours, has placed some of his own at the disposal of the
author, who bas been aided likewise by the Rev. J. Brooke, in the illustra-
tion of various Buhjecta of interest. It will give us gratification to learn
not only that Mr. Byton's work receives sufficient encouragement to enable
him to bring it to a satisfactory completion, but that persons who are
individually interested in the county will follow the example thus set them,
by the contribution of other illustrations.
Shropshire contains numerous examples of church architecture, possess-
ituree of interest to the student of that class of antiquities. The
magnificent monastic structures now in picturesque decay, are inferior in
importance perhaps only to the abbeys of Yorkshire, but it is in the more
simple rural churches, many of which in remote parts of the Western
Marches have remained almost unknown, that the BccleBiologist will find
gratification in tlii- district. Mr. Byton bas not contemplated in the work
before as, relating mainly to the interval which elapsed between the
Conquest ami the death of I [enrj III., to describe or illustrate the churches
of all tho-c parishes, the early hi-tory of which he has so succe.-sfull y
developed. The interesting examples, however, of the earlier period,
such a- Morville, the Membrefelde of Domesday, Quatford, Upton Cressett,
with its rich Norman door and singular jar lhaped font, l.inlcy and
Shiffnal, are brought under notice in these volumes, ami their peculiar fea-
illustrated by Mr. Petit'a skilful pencil. The readers of this
Journal will remember with pleasure the Memoir relating to Tong church,
which Mi. I'etit kindly contributed almosl at the commencement of our
publication. Mr. Byton has devoted much attention to that interesting
structure, ami entered fully into tin in ton of the earlier lords of Tong, <\r
Belmei and la Zouche, the Pembrugea ami the Vernons, and the ezqui
ter, which will pre .lit n ilinary attraction to the
student of medissval tculpture, on the occasion of tin' \isit of the Institute
to Shropshire, thii year. Mr. Byton has at length appropriated, as we
belie'.. :!,, t of these impre jive memorials, and we are
210
NOTICES OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL PUBLICATIONS.
indebted to his kindness fur permission to place before our readers the
accompanying woodcut, from a drawing 1 > v the Rev. J. Brooke. We must
refer to Mr. Byton's volumes for other illustrations of this most picturesque
church, well deserving of a visit for the sake of many time-honoured me-
mories, and not least as having preserved the verse of eulogy on Sir
Edward Stanley, attributed to Shakspeare.
There exist many other examples of monumental sculpture in Shropshire
well deserving of attention, and we observe with pleasure that Mr. Eyton
has recognised the interest of these sepulchral portraitures, deficient, it
may 1"'. in artistic perfection, but very valuable as regards their authentic
originality. The cross-legged effigy of Sir Walter de Dunstanvill, now in
the A ■< v church at Shrewsbury, appears amongst the illustrations of the
Becond volume ; he took active part in the affairs of the times of Henry II.
and died, probably at Wbmbridge Priory, having retired from the world in
the reign of Cceur de Lion, about 1195. As examples of sculpture in the
Norman period we may invite attention to the curious baptismal fonts in
this part of England ; of two, at Linley and at Morville, parishes closely
adjacent in the neighbourhood of Bridgnorth, Mr. Byton lias enabled us to
give the accompanying representations. They present a greater similarity in
design than is usually found in productions of a period when repetition or
imitation seems to have been sedulously avoided. The south door at
Linley Chapel is not less deserving of notice than its font (see woodcut) and
more especially the vortical herring bone work with which the tympanum
■
it filled in so unusual a manner, At Morville there wa a collegiate foun
and the font maj po iblj be a relique of that age i
the church pr< ent ' I Norman work, hut great part of the fabric
be referred to that int Pran itional period, when the pure
Norman ityle wa ix \ for the Gothic which succeeded
DOORWAY, SOUTH SIDE OF LINLEY CHAPEL
212 LRCHAEOLOGICAL INTELLIGENCE.
it. In this instance, the arches are Bemi-circular, their mouldings indi-
cating the incipient change, whilst in other buildings, as in that most
instructive example of this interesting epoch of architecture, Buildwas
Abbey Church, the transition is marked in the form of the arch.
We have thankfully availed ourselves of the author's kindness in bring-
iug before our readers some of those illustrative features of his work, with
the desire, more especially at a time when the notice of the Institute is
directed toward- Shropshire, to invite attention to the interesting character
of that district, and to the value of Mr. Eyton's arduous undertaking.
We heartily wish him a large measure of that encouragement and cordial
•• in his purpose to which he is BO justly entitled.
;3uf)ncoloatcnl Entclliacncc
The Cambrian Archaeological Association has recently produced the
third number of the new series of their journal. (London, .). K. Smith.)
It is issued quarterly to members only. Mr. Westwood has continued Ids
valuable -cries of illustrations of early inscribed monuments in Wales. Mr.
Longueville Jones contributes the Church of Beaumaris, in continuation of
lii- '• M"iia Mediseva," and a very curious account of Capel Trillo, in Caer-
narvon-hire, a diminutive structure vaulted over with rough stones, and en-
closin"- a holy well. Mr. Wrighl gives a notice of the ancient fortified man-
sion of Treago, in Berefordshire, and of the "Tump," or great mound at
St. Weouard's. opened in April last under his directions, when its sepulchral
character was clearly shown. — The annual meeting of the Association will
take place in September, at Llandeilo Fawr, Caermarthen shire.
An important benefit has been secured for the preservation of ancient
Vestiges in North Britain, and the permanent record of local facts of -rent
value to the archaeologist anil the historian. At the instance of the Society
of Antiquaries of Scotland, the government have determined that, in the
future prosecution of the Ordnance Survey of Scotland, especial attention
he directed to all ancient remaiuB, camps, roads, tumuli, (fee, and their
position carefully indicated. Lord Panmure, in announcing to the Marquis
..i Breadalbane, President of the Society, the ready compliance of the Hon.
Board of Ordnance on this occasion, expresses the request for local informa-
tion from tie- ministers of parishes, and other persons, in furtherance of so
desirable an object. This important result has been attained through the
tion of an intelligent antiquary, known to the readers of this journal
through hi .he- in the Orkneys, Mr, A. II. Rhind. The sub-
ject was brought before the society by him in April last.
The annual meeting of the Caerleon Antiquarian Association, will take
place at Caerwent, on August 16. A complete in m of the Roman
remains there will forthwith be undertaken, under the direction of Mr. .1. Y.
man, Secretary of the Society of Antiquaries.
ERR \tim
ih. Note at the and ol the last number of the Journal, p 108, m to Godfrey de la
mould have been omitted ; en opportunity haviug occurred ol Inserting the
ii • ol n in the U I si i
Eijt Slrcijaeologtcal 3)ouvnaK
SEPTEMBER, 1855.
ON THE ROMAN ANTIQUITIES FROM THE NORTH OF
ENGLAND IN THE LIBRARIES OF TRINITY AND ST.
JOHN'S COLLEGES, CAMBRIDGE.!
BY THE REV. JOHN COLLINGWOOD BRUCE, LL.D., F.S.A.
To the student of the Roman Antiquities of the North of
England, Cambridge has a peculiar attraction. Several
altars and inscribed stones, derived from the region of the
Roman Wall, are there preserved. The collection is not
large, but it possesses great historic value. Nearly every
stone sheds light upon the early annals of our country.
Although much has already been written upon the subject
of these stony documents, it may not be amiss to call the
attention of the Institute to them, now that it has met within
the bounds of the ancient borough of Cambridge. The
inspection of them will be all the more interesting from the
locality whence they were taken having been visited by the
Institute two years ago.
In the year 1600, Camden and Sir Robert Cotton visited
the Roman Wall. In consequence of the disturbed state of
the district, and the "rank robbers thereabouts," they were
unable to inspect the middle region of its track, where the
most complete portions of it are to be found. They saw
much, however, to reward them for their toils and brought
away the altars which are now deposited at the foot of the
staircase of Trinity College Library.
Before examining the inscriptions in detail, we may attend
1 Communicated to the Section of Antiquitiea at the Cambridge Meeting, July, 1854.
VOL. XII. l' F
214 ROMAN ANTIQUITIES AT CAMBRIDGE
to some general facts which these altars press upon our
Dotice.
The circumstance that these stones sculptured by Roman
hands were brought from the most northerly part of England
is impressive evidence of the extent of the Roman dominion.
Who can look at them without being reminded of the words
by which on one occasion the Romans are described in Holy
Writ, "a nation from far. from the ends of the earth."
Some of the altars were found at Bremenium, the modern
High Rochester, which is upwards of twenty miles north of
the Wall, and some are from llabitancum, the modern
Risingham, about twelve miles to the north of the Wall.
Both these places are on the Watling Street. Here we have
convincing evidence that the Romans when they drew their
line of wall from the Tyne to the Solway, had no intention of
relinquishing their hold of the country north of the barrier.
The character of the carving and letters on some of the
altars -hows they belong to the best periods of the empire ;
others exhibit signs of the lowest age. In this we have
proof of the enduring character of the Roman rule. In
taking possession of the bleak and inhospitable solitudes of
northern Northumberland, the Romans contemplated no
ephemera] occupation, but one of the most lasting nature.
W >■ have many proofs that these northern stations were not
evacuated until the final abandonment of Britain.
The altars in the vestibule of Trinity College Library
have not much in their appearance that is attractive. They
seldom arrest the step of a student ascending the staircase.
Even this (acl is instructive. The Romans in tin.' north of
England did not find themselves in circumstances calculated
to foster the line arts. They were engaged in warj they
had a held and vigilant enemy to il;\\ with; all theircir-
cumspection and all their energy were required to Bt rengthen
their position and to preserve themselves from destruction.
Articles of taste and luxury, such as are found in Roman
villas in th<- south of England, are rarely met with in tin;
Campfi of the north. The rude character of seine of tin;
altars in question is in keeping with this observation.
Another fact will strike the student, when giving these
altar- evens cursory examination. Two or three of them
are n ddened by lire. This is a circumstance of common
occurrence. Yen can scarcely walk over the site of a sta
FROM THE NORTH OP ENGLAND.
215
tion without noticing fragments of stone artificially reddened.
A careful examination of the stations proves that on two
occasions, at least, they have been involved in ruin. The
first occurred, probably, in the reign of Commodus, the last
on the final withdrawment of the Romans. The Caledo-
nians, on making a successful onslaught on the Roman lines,
burnt whatever was combustible about the stations. To this
cause the reddening of the altars is no doubt owing.
In the collection in Trinity College there are some mere
fragments of altars. It is by no means unusual to find the
sculptures in a Roman station broken in pieces. The excep-
tion is to find one entire. The injury is usually of such a
nature as to prove that it was the result of design and of
the application of considerable force. It may be, that the
Romans and their allies on being converted to Christianity,
destroyed their altars and their idols in testimony of their
change of belief, but it is more likely that the work of
demolition was effected by the Caledonians after the stations
were abandoned by the Romans. These northern tribes seem
to have taken a special delight in destroying everything
that bore traces of Roman handiwork.
We may now examine the altars in detail, beginning with
one which was taken from Bremenium, the most northerly
station in England.
This is described by Camden at page 661 of the last
original edition of the " Britannia."
He thus interprets it — " Duplares Nu-
meri exploratorum Bremenii Aram in-
stituerunt Numini ejus (Caio) Csopione
Charitino Tribuno votum solverunt
libentes merito." — The exploratory
troops of Bremenium (receiving double
rations) erected this altar to its di-
vinity, Caius Crcpio Charitinus being
tribune ; freely and duly have they dis-
charged a vow. Horsley (xcv. Northum-
berland) in commenting upon what lie
justly calls " that remarkable altar, with
a curious inscription upon it, published
by Mr. Camden," says, " The reading
I have given of the body of the
inscription is the same as his, which I take to be right :
BRENENARAM
1NSXMR/N.T
hpSsgfcreB
CHARITINOTKB
V&S L M
216 ROMAS AKTIQUITIBS A.T CAMBRIDGE
but nobody (that I knot* of) has given a satisfactory explica^
tioii of the D i: s at the top. 1 think it plain that they arc
to be read Dea Roma Sacrum. That they made a goddess
of Rome, and erected altars and temples to her, needs no
proof to those who have any acquaintance with medals and
other Roman antiquities."
Hodgson gives a different reading of the three initials,
rendering them De reditu suo, and translating the whole
inscription thus — "Cains Caspio Charitinus being tribune,
the duplares of the picket-guard stationed at Bremenium,
freely and duly performing a vow on aeeount of his safe
return, set up this altar to his guardian god." — Hist. North.
Part II.. voL L, p. L39.
No one acquainted with the wild region to the north of
r.ivnieiiiuni can fail to recognise a sort of fitness in Hodgson's
rendering. Charitinus and his troops might well congratu-
late themselves on their safe return from an exploratory
expedition — the bogs, the forests passed, the wily enemy
i scaped. At the same time, Horsley's reading is less forced
than Hodgson's. It is. moreover, usual to commence a dedi-
cation with the name of the god to whom the altar was
i rected.
That Rome was worshipped as a goddess there can be no
doubt ; and that she was held in very high estimation is
apparent from the lines of Martial —
•• Terrarum dea gentiumque Roma,
< !ui par >•-: nihil, ei nihil secundum." Epig. XII, viii.
Words more lofty could not be applied to Jupiter himself.
A- the father of the gods is usually invoked on altars by the
initial letters, [.o.M., there is no impropriety in this goddess
being indicated in a similar manner \<\ the letters, D.B.S,
The chief value, however, of the altar arises from the
mention of Bremenium upon it. On the thud line, the
letters Bremen, occur, and a stop is placed after them to
indicate a contracted word. The firs! Iter in the Itinerary
of Antoninus, is entitled, " A route from the limit, thai is
from the Wall, to Prstorium, L56 miles : and the firs! place
mentioned in it is Bremenium. Camden at oner conjectured
thai the contracted word on this altar was Bremenii, and
conc< ived I hat it furni bed a I rong probability that 1 1 igh
Roch i If mri ing point of the Iter.
FROM THE NORTH OP ENGLAND.
217
The probability of the correctness of Camden's conclusion
was increased by the discovery of another altar in the same
station, two years ago, in the course of the excavations
carried on there by direction of the Duke of Northumber-
land, on which the formula occurs, N. explorator. BRBM.,
Numerus ewploratorurn Brcmcnii.
The inscribed stones from Risingham next claim our
attention. Amongst them is one which is remarkable, as
giving the name of a local deity worshipped by the Romans,
and fixing, with much probability, the ancient name of the
station. Horsley, speaking of it, says, " I was pleased to see
the whole inscription still so legible, and particularly the
word ffabitand plain and distinct, though it is now above a
hundred and twenty years since this and another altar,
mentioned by Camden, were taken out of the river Rede,
which runs near this station." Now that we have another
period of above a hundred and twenty years to add to
Horsley's, our satisfaction is proportionately increased in
finding it in so satisfactory a state as it is. All authorities
agree in reading the altar, " Deo Mogonti Cadenorum et
numini Domini Nostri Augusti, Marcus Gaius Secundums,
beneficiarius consulis, Habitanci,
prima statione, pro se et suis
posuit." — To Mogon of the Cadeni
and the deity of our lord Augus-
tus, Marcus Gaius Secundums a
consular beneficiary at Habitan-
cum, the first station (from the
Wall), erected (this altar) for him-
self and his friends.
The god Mogon is no doubt the
local deity of the Cadeni, who
seem to have been a tribe located
in the territory of the Vangiones.
Mogontiacum, the modern May-
ence, was the capital of the pro-
vince of the Vangiones, and always contained a strong
Roman garrison. There is something interesting in noticing
the yearnings of soul in these Cadeni, banished to Rising-
ham, after the gods of their native land.
Camden mentions a similar altar belonging: to the same
place, also erected by the Cadeni, bearing the inscription —
«,«hmiTiMi i«i«HHiu7Ti"H||i i
MOC0NT(aD
£TNU;NAVC|
mSsm^nv.!
^fgoshabii5
'^IPRIMASTATl
"jSEET5V]SB5i
J*JL
<■
218 ROMAN ANTIQUITIES AT CAMBRIDGE.
Deo Mouxo Cad[ exorum]. For a number of years this
altar was missing, having been used in the erection of a cow-
shed ; this structure being now pulled down, it lies in the
middle of the station, but the inscription Is barely legible.
The chief value of the altar arises from the mention of
Habitancum. This, in the absence of any evidence of a con-
flicting character, warrants us in supposing that Habitancum
was the Roman name of the station.
We next direct our attention to a slab derived from the
same station, which is of a more ornate character than any
other found in the region of the Roman Wall. It has been
repeatedly engraved, but never so correctly as to supersede
another attempt, which is here presented.
The slab consists of three compartments. The centre
contains the inscription surrounded by a very elegant octa-
gonal border. The inscription is, " Numinibus Augustorum
COHORS QUARTA GrALLORUW EQUITATA FECIT." — To the deities
of the emperors the fourth cavalry cohort of the Gauls
erected this.
That the emperors were worshipped as gods admits of
abundant proof] and that the more worthless an emperor was,
the more slavishly he was adored is quite natural. The
emperors bore referred to are probably the two sons of
Severus. Several inscriptions mentioning Caracalla and
Greta have been recently discovered at this station. Among
them is a slab found among the ruins of the south gate-
way, and now preserved in the museum at Newcastle ; it
bears a Btrong resemblance to that which we are discussing.
CTpon it the uame of Caracalla is given with all the usual
epithets. The name <>f his brother has also been there, but
is erased. This is uniformly the case with reference to the
uame of this emperor in Northumberland. Ii is interesting
to notice the Same thing iii the arch nf Severus at Rome. We
here gel a striking proof of the unity of the empire even in
the time of Caracalla. An order of a comparatively trifling
character issued in Rome was quickly obeyed in the remotest
region of I he earl h.
The troops by whom this slab was raised were the fourth
cohort of the Gallic cavalry. The Notitia places Me fourth
cohort oj '/In Gauls in the station of \ indobala, the modern
Ch< terholm, where several inscriptions by this body have
been found. The Vindobala cohort was a troop oi foot, the
St a E
« ^
220 ROMAN ANTIQUITIES AT CAMBRIDGE
cohort mentioned upon our slab was a mounted one. They
are no doubt different bodies.
The principal portions of the side compartments of the
Risingham slab are occupied with figures of Victory and
Mars. Both appear as they are usually represented. Victory
has wings, a laurel crown is in her right hand, a palm-branch
in her left ; a globe placed beneath her feet indicates Rome's
claims to universal empire. Mars appears fully armed ; his
uplifted right hand grasps a spear, his left rests upon his
shield : his whole posture is a personification of the motto —
'■ Ready, aye, ready for the field."
Between the central compartment and these figures an orna-
ment which is of frequent occurrence on Roman shields is
introduced. It is probably the conventional form of a shield.
It resembles the shield which is sometimes introduced into
trophies, and is probably an ornamental adaptation of the
shield of the earliest period of the Roman polity. Above the
shield, on each side, are human heads ; that on the left side
is triple-faced, it may be intended for Janus, the guardian
deity of gates ; thai on the righl may be intended forSeverus.
Beneath the shields are cords formed into a knot. Beneath
the figure of Victory is a bird apparently a stork about to
seize a fish ; near it is a small twig, apparently bearing a few
billies of some description.
On the other side, below the figure of Mais is a bird, appa-
rently a goose : before it is set a small vase which seems to
contain .-nine fruit.
How far these minor objects are emblematic of the faith
or the philosophy of the cohort of the Gauls, or bow far they
are the mi -re offspring of the taste of the sculptor, is not easy
to decide. If the bird under Mars bad been a cock, as has
r .- 1 1 i \ been stated, the appropriateness of its introduction
would have been plain. We know that Koine was once saved
from the Gauls by the cackling of geese. If the allusion is
to this circumstance, it shows how entirely the Romans had
succeeded in destroying the nationality of their conquered
:■ < and in infusing the national spirit intothe whole.
Another dab which was found in the same station, and
probably attached to a temple or other building, bears
the inscription, Coh[ors] mm ma V"ang[ionum] fecit oi bante
Jul[io] I'm i.i.o tbibi ffo. The firsl cohorl of the Vangiones
FROM THE NORTH OF ENGLAND.
221
erected this under the command of Julius Paullus, the
tribune.
The Vangiones, as has already been said, were a people of
Belgic Gaul. As several in-
scribed stones found at Ilabi-
tancum mention the Vangio-
nes, it has been concluded that
this station was chiefly garri-
soned by them, though they
are not named in the Notitia
Imperii.
Below these two slabs in the
wall of the lobby of Trinity
Library is a large altar. It
is reddened by fire, and is
deeply scarred by the bad usage it has received ; notwith-
standing this its aspect gladdened the heart of Horsley.
" This is a very stately altar,"' he says, "erected to the invincible
Hercules. It yet remains at Conington very entire, and is,
I think, one of the largest altars that I have seen, that are
so beautiful." It reads " Deo invicto Herculi sacr[um]
L[ucius] ^Emil[ianus] Salvanus Trib[unus] coh[ortis]
rRDLE Vangi[onum] v[otum] s[olvens] l[ibens] m[erito].
Sacred to the unconquerable god Hercules. Lucius iEmi-
iianus Salvanus, tribune of the first cohort of the Vangiones,
(erected this) willingly and deservedly, in discharge of
a vow.
Personal prowess being a qualification of considerable
importance to a soldier, Hercules was popular in the Roman
army, and we find several altars dedicated to him.
The formula vslm, at the close of an inscription, is, with
occasional variations, of common occurrence upon Roman
altars. Whilst we deplore the folly of the idolatry of the
Romans, we cannot but admire their readiness in acknow-
ledging the obligations under which they supposed them-
selves to be laid by their gods.
In the mention of the Vangiones on this altar, as well as
on the slab already noticed, we have an illustration of the
Roman policy of prosecuting their conquests by means of
tribes already subjugated. The Vangiones were stationed
at Risingham, the Varduli and Lingones at High Rochester,
and, along the line of the Wall, were troops of Spaniards,
VOL. XII. O G
'
n > i i HE i.ir.u.M ■
ROMAN ANTIQUITIES AT CAMBRIDGE.
223
Moors, Germans and others. The Britons themselves were
drafted off in large numbers to the other ends of the earth,
or perhaps to keep in order the very tribes and nations who
were doing this service for their own countrymen. By this
means a single legion of Roman troops were sufficient to
hold in check the whole of North Britain. This, which was
the sixth legion, was stationed at York, whence they could,
from the nature of the country, on any alarm, expand them-
selves like a fan over the region to the north, or concentrate
themselves on any position of the mural barrier which was
exposed to danger.
One other inscription only from this station shall detain
us ; it is on a monumental slab. It reads — D[ns] M[anibus]
BlESCIUS DiOVICUS FILING SILE VIXIT ANNUM UNUM ET DIE[s]
viginti unum.— Blescius Diovicus erects this to the divine
manes of his daughter ; she lived one year and twenty-one
days.
The bust in the triangular head of the stone is probably
meant as a likeness of the de-
ceased. The rude character of
the carving, the peculiar shape
of the letters, and the mode
of spelling vidit, prove the in-
scription to be of late date.
There is something touching
in all these Roman tombstones.
The rudest and most meagre
of them shadow forth the
kindliest affections of human
nature. Blescius Diovicus, a
wanderer, probably, from the
banks of the Rhine, and inured
to all the hardships and priva-
tions of war, had a heart that
% sews
DiOVIC '
S t V A -h I
VI ].OC\SJT
AC A/ vV^/A
MLEIDvI E
could bleed for his little daugh-
ter. In committing her dust
to the urn, he was unwilling
that the memory of her brief
existence should perish hastily, and accordingly he carved,
roughly enough, but probably according to his ability, the
lines we have been examining. It is a pity he has not
inserted the cognomen of the young lady, for, in that case, a
224 SOMAS ANTIQUITIES AT CAMBRIDGE
splendid immortality would have been hers. The name
of the daughter of Blescius Diovicus would have been a
household word with the learned sons of Trinity College,
( lambridge.
We now turn from the stations north of the Wall to those
of the Wall itself.
The Notitia Impi rii gives the stations along the line of the
Roman Wall, and mentions the troops and the prefects which
were stationed in each. At Condercum, the fourth station
on the line, reckoning from the eastern extremity, it places
the prefect of the first Ala of the Astures. At Benwell
several Blabs and altars have been found inscribed by this
of soldiers. Proceeding westwards, we meet with a
Roman station at Rutchester. The Notitia gives us as the
camp next in order to Condercum, Vindolana, where the
fir-t cohort of the Frixagi were stationed; here, unhappily,
no stone has been found mentioning this cohort or any other.
Going still further westward we meet with a station near
Balton Castle. Next in order to Vindolana the Notitia gives
us the camp of Hunnum with the Savinian ala for its garrison.
The only stone naming this troop found at llalton or else-
where in England is the broken fragment preserved at
Cambridge and here represented. Fragmentary as it is, it
is sunicienl to prove Halton Chestcrs to be the Hunnum of
the Notitia, ('specially as there is abundant evidence for
Wishing the station next in order to be the Cilurnum of
the Notitia. This inscription is apparently a monumental
one erected by Messorius
Magnus to the manes of his
brother. The reference to
J^y the Ala Sabiniana is how-
r\ er disi inct.and i.^ sufficient
-:\m.
| toestablish for this battered
and ill-used stone an historic
value. Several ligatures or
tied letters will be noticed
in it. For example, the
i luce letters teb in Frater
are all combined in one
form. A peculiarity in the writing of the word llae is
worthy of notice. The second \ which is adjoined t«» the
r< pre i nted upside down. In Saxon inscriptions
PROM THE NORTH OF ENGLAND.
225
tAJJ*'^
Roman letters are not unfrequently inverted ; this docs not
often occur in those carved by Latin hands.
At Carvoran the Roman Magna, the eleventh station on
the Wall, the Syrian goddess seems to have been extensively
worshipped. An altar derived from this quarter is preserved
in the collection at Trinity College. The upper portion of it
is elaborately carved, and the first and second lines of the
inscription, and part of that of the third are complete ; but
all the subsequent lines, amounting to four, have been lost
through the exfoliation of the stone. Fortunately Camden
had copied the inscription before this destructive process had
taken place, and the figure
here given has the missing
lines supplied chiefly from his
copy. I have ventured to
render the last line more com-
plete than he has done, for
the discovery of several other
inscriptions at this place of
late renders it quite certain
that the first cohort of the
Hamii, not the fourth cohort
of the Gauls (as Horsley sup-
posed), were the dedicators
of the altar. The inscription
reads Deao Suriae sub Calpurnio
Agricola legato augustali pro-
praetore Aulus Licinius Clemens
praefectus cohortis prima) Ham-
iorum. To the Syrian goddess
Aulus Licinius Clemens prefect
of the first cohort of the Hamii
under Calpurnius Agricola,
Augustan legate and proprie-
tor. The Hamii were natives
of Syria. The Syrians were much addicted to the worship
of Cybcle. There is at present lying in the garden at
Carvoran a fragment of a stone which bears- all the ap-
pearance of having formed part of an altar similar to this
one ; at all events the name of Calpurnius Agricola is
distinct.
To one other altar only will we direct attention. Though
ROMAN ANTIQUITIES AT CAMBRIDGE
not from the region of the Wall it still belongs to the north
of England, li is without doubt the most elaborately carved
altar which the Romans resident in Britain have Left us. It
is now preserved in the quadrangle of St. John's College.
Camden mentions it. and tells us it was found in the Roman
station of Ribchester. The inscription, which he informs us
•• was copied for him. he gives as follows: —
SEO ESAM
ROLNASON
OSALVEDN
AL. Q. Q. SAR
BBEVENM
BEDIANIS
ANTOM I
VS MEC. VI.
IC Do.MV
BLITEB
r, perhaps, was so unmeaning a concatenation of letters
submitted to the gaze of a bewil-
--— dered antiquary. Camden could
make nothing of the inscription,
but BUggests somewhat waggishly
thai it contained little more than
the British names of places ad-
joining. Ilorsley grappled with
Camden's corrupted copy, and
elicited one portion of truth. He
Bays, " I believe the foui th line
may he Alae equitum Sarma
[ tarum I."
The altar seems soon after its
disco\ ery to ha\ e been used as a
common building-stone in the
ereel ion of Salisbury I [all. In
L815 it was disentombed, and
fell into the hands of Dr. Whit-
aker, who bequeathed it to St.
John's College. Dr. Whitaker
clli bory of Richmondshire, 70L
ii. p. 161) thus expands the inscription : Deo sancto Apollint
Apono 06 8alutem Domini nostri ala equitum Sarmatarum
POMPON
SALVED'N;
•E ao-SAU .
mm
R'DI'ANl-' !j
TON! :
vs ;vj '!
to , \tsj:j:(
1 '.-.'"■
mi
FROM THE NORTH OF ENGLAND. 227
Brenetcn. sub Dianio Antonino centurione legionis settee
victricis. The correctness of this reading, in the main,
cannot be disputed, but one or two emendations may be
suggested. Instead of Apono, which Dr. Whitaker conceives
to be an epithet of Apollo, Mapono is probably the true
reading. We nowhere else meet with Aponus (indolent) as
an epithet of this deity. At Plumpton, in Cumberland, an
altar has been found which is inscribed1 —
DEO
MArONO
ET N.AYG
To Mr. Roach Smith I am indebted for the reading now
o
suggested, as well as for the idea that Maponus may be the
British name of Apollo, as Belatucader is of Mars. It is
nothing uncommon to address a god both by his classical and
local name. The first letter in the fourth line appears to be N
(numerus) rather than a (aid) ; both designations as applied
to a troop of cavalry are common. The last letter on the
ninth line is worthy of notice. The sculptor seems in the
first instance to have made the word domic and then to have
altered it to the usual form of domo.
The chief value of the inscription depends upon the fifth
line. Mr. Hodgson Hinde, in a paper read before the Society
of Antiquaries of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and published in their
Transactions,2 conjectured (without having seen the altar)
that Dr. Whitaker's reading of Breweten, should be Bre?weten.
Such, as is shown in the woodcut, appears to be the feet.
He further argues that the station at which the Sarmatian
cavalry (Ribchester) were located, was the Bremeten racum
of the Notitia. He does so upon the same principle that
High Rochester is conceded to be Bremenium, and Risingham
Habitancum.
The emperor, for whose welfare this altar was erected,
docs not appear, but judging from the excellence of the
design of the altar and from the clearness of its lettering, he
must have been one of the earlier series.
Besides the inscription, the altar is sculptured on two of
its sides. The subject of one of these carvings is the youthful
Apollo resting upon his lyre. The figure, notwithstanding
the hard usage it has met with in the course of centuries,
Lyson's Cumberland, p. civ. Archeeologia .K'iuna, vol. iv. p. 109.
jj
ROMAN ANTIQUITIES AT CAMBRIDGE.
exhibits considerable grace. Two females, the one fully
draped, the other only partially so, are shown on the other
Bid • of the altar. They hold some object between them
which is so much injured as to be {indistinguishable ; it may
have been a basket of fruit or an offering of flowers.
Dr. Whitaker is Burely wrong in describing these figures as
two priests holding in their hands the head of a victim.
Such are "-nine of the objects oi antiquity connected with
the domination of Rome in the north of England, thai are at
pri 31 nt to be met with within the precincts of the University
of Cambridge. However rude the carving of some of them,
they \\ ill ever 1"' interesting to Englishmen, as indicating the
progri - of their forefathers from a state of barbarism into
one of high ei\ ilisation.
[The Centra] Committee of the institute have the gratification to
rledge the kind a istance of die author of this valuable memoir,
in d< frayin portion of the oo -< of the accompanying illustrations,
prepared under hi direction bj Mr. [Jtting.]
THE MONASTERIES OF SHEOPSHIEE : THEIR ORIGIN AND
FOUNDERS.— LILLESHALL ABBEY.1
BY THE REV. ROBERT W. EYTOX, M.A.
There are few subjects of that class and period, whereunto
the foundation of Lilleshall Abbey belongs, which can be
more exactly described both as regards dates and circum-
stances. Much of this has been ably done already,2 and the
object of the present narrative is mainly to supply a few
additions to, and to suggest some trifling corrections in,
former accounts.
Richard de Belmeis, first Bishop of that name, who held
the See of London, died January 16, 1127. He had been
for a great portion of his life the representative or Viceroy
of Henry I. in Shropshire. He died seized of a temporal
estate in that county, which included the manor of Tong,
also of several churches, and of the deanery or chief pre-
bendal interest in the church of St. Alkmund, Shrewsbury.
The last he held immediately of the king.
At his death he left two nephews, sons of his brother
Walter. The elder of these, Philip, was his temporal heir,
and so became at once lord of Tong. The younger, Richard,
was not yet of age, but was already destined for the Church.
In the years 1138 and 1139, or about that time, Philip de
Belmeis seems to have been interested in the prosperity of
Buildwas Abbey, a Savigniac house recently founded in
Shropshire, by Roger de Clinton, Bishop of Chester. The
manner in which he encouraged that establishment, and his
own personal admission into the fraternity of Savigny pre-
clude all idea of his having a contemporary admiration for
any other religious order.
Before many years had passed — specifically before the
year 1145, Philip de Belmeis was of another mind. The
1 Communicated to the Historical Sec- - History of Shrewsbury (Owen and
tion, at the Meeting of the Institute ill Blakeway), ii. '_' . a.
Shrewsbury.
VOL. XII. II n
230 THE MONASTERIES OP SHROPSHIRE.
introduction of regular, as distinct from secular canons, into
Knuiand. belongs to lin earliri- period than the reign of
Henry [., and according to one account, the elder Richard
de Belmeis had been instrumental, about a.i>. 1108, to their
first settlement in this country.3 During the next thirty
i, many colleges of secular canons were changed into
regulars, and many houses of the latter class were newly
founded.
In the Lateran Council of 1139, all regular canons
throughout the dominions of St. Peter were subjected to the
rule of St. Augustine ; but there was a sect of this order
which had long previously professed an improvement on its
fundamental ordinances, and which from its first house
having been dedicated to St. Nicholas of Arras, and situated
near that city, was called Arroasian. A number of these
latter canons are said to have been introduced into England
in I 1 40, under the auspices of Alexander the Magnificent,
Bishop of Lincoln. They were placed at Dorchester in
Oxfordshire, once the episcopal seat of Alexander's prede-
cessors, and where probablya college of secular canons made
way for these Arroasians.
Within five, probably within three, years of this date, the
Dorchester canons were ready to increase their influence by
emigration. Some of them found their way into Shropshire,
where Philip de Belmeis was their first patron. By a charter,
addressed to Roger, Bishop of Chester, he gave them a tract
of land in his manor of Tong, dow known as the Lizard
Grange, and other advantages, which, be it observed, must
have somewhat qualified the value of his previous favours to
Buildwas. Verbally, his charter conveys " land to found a
Church in honour of St. Mary (given) to Canons of the
Order of Arroasia, who had come from the Church of St.
Peter at Dorchester, and are Berving God and St. Mary
there" (thai is, in the locality now given to them), "regu-
larly," (that i-. according to the Rule of Regular Canons).
This humble introduction under the patronage of a.
Shropshire knight, was a prelude to greater fortunes; but
before 1 pass to the uexl event which befel these Arroasian
canons, I musl resume my account of Richard, younger
nephew of Richard de Belmeis, Bishop of London, \\ Tien
• i a4 Chri t< bur< h, witb d Aldgato, London.
LILLESHALL A.BBEY. 231
tlic latter had been dead about seven months, that is, in
August, 1127,4 King Henry I. is known to have been waiting
on the coast of Hampshire for a favourable opportunity of
crossing the Channel. Doubtless to the same period belongs
a charter dated at Portsmouth, whereby the king grants to
Richard de Bclmcis, nephew of the deceased Bishop, all the
" Churches, Lands, and things " which having in the first
instance been held by Godebald and Robert his son, had
since been held by the Bishop, of the King.
There is every presumption that we rightly indicate the
gift thus conveyed, if wre say that it consisted of the pre-
bendal estates of Lilleshall, Atcham, Uckington, and Preston
Gobalds, with the Churches thereon, and that the whole
constituted a preponderating interest in the Collegiate
Church of St. Alkmund, Shrewsbury.
Richard de Belmeis, whom we will only call Chief
Prebendary of St. Alkmunds, was at this time hardly of age.
He wras nevertheless a dignitary of St. Paul's, London, and
had actually been appointed Archdeacon of Middlesex by his
uncle several years before. His extreme youth, however,
had induced an arrangement wdierebyone Hugh, a Chaplain,
had custody of the archdeaconry, to hold as it were in
commendam, till Belmeis should attain a fitting age. This
period arrived during the episcopacy of Gilbert the Universal
(January, 1128, August, 1134) ; but the archdeacon in
possession forgot or evaded his oath ; and his refusal to
resign his trust was countenanced by Bishop Gilbert. The
death of the latter prelate was followed by a long vacancy in
the See of London. In 1138, Richard de Belmeis went to
Rome as a representative of the Chapter of St. Paul's in its
opposition to the election of Anselm to that bishopric. The
appeal succeeded, and Belmeis then brought forward his
own personal grievance in regard to the archdeaconry of
Middlesex. This matter the Pope (Innocent II.) referred
back to the decision of two English bishops (Hereford
and Lincoln), who before the end of the year gave sentence
in favour of Belmeis. In apparent connexion with his
induction to this office, Belmeis was ordained deacon in
December, 1138, by Henry, Bishop of Winchester, at com-
1 Monnsticon, vi. 262, Num. II. Mr. but Simeon of Durham's Chronology ol
Blakeway (Hist, Shrewsbury, II. 264, the period (which Mr. B. followed) is
note 3) dates this charter in August, 1 128, erroneous by a year.
THE MONASTERIES OF SHROPSHIRE.
mand of the papal legate, Alberic, who was then visiting
England
in July 1141, for that undoubtedly is tlic date of the
document referredso, I find Archdeacon Richard deBelmeis
in the court of the empress at Oxford, and attesting her
charter to the Shropshire Abbey of Haughmond.5 It was
the era of her pride and triumph, for Stephen was then her
prisoner. Anion-- her other attendants, were David, King
of Scotland, Robert de Sigillo, recently appointed to the long
vacant see of London, Alexander, Bishop of Lincoln, Regi-
nald, earl of Cornwall, William and Walter Pitz-Alan, and
Alan de Dunstanville, — the four last all associated with
Shropshire history.
The release of Stephen towards the close of this same
year, again set the kingdom in a blaze. Political parties
were once more confounded, and many men re-adjusted
their allegiance as interest or passion might direct. Amidst
all this turmoil and distrust, it is marvellous to observe the
impulse which was given to religious institutions. Stephen
and the Empress vied in their patronage of the Church, not
befriending different orders in opposition to each other, but
more commonly lavishing their jealous favours od the same/'
Meantime, there were nun whose conduct, favourably inter-
preted, would indicate that they belonged to no political
party, and of whom the worsl thai can be said is, that they
adhered to each party in turn, according as it might suit
their designs \ designs, 1 mean, not of rapine or bloodshed,
but of peace and benevolence. These men pursued their
ends without molestation, uav, often with double encourage-
tnent.
Among them was Richard, Archdeacon of Middlesex,
who, whether at the suggestion of his brother Philip, or in
sympathy with the bishop of Lincoln, selected the Arroasian
order for his munificent favour. His first Btep, taken, I
doubi Dotj in l I I I. was to transfer them from the Lizard
to Donington Wood, a pari of his prebendal estate of
Lilleshall, nol -\\ miles distanl from their first abode. This
he did, doubtless, under a full assurance of thai consent,
V mporal as well as ecclesiastical, which followed his act.
Harl ta ure %• rtal ooniea oi i »eh other The
■ I irten of Stephen policy of ili<- rivals In thii reepeel being
•ad tin usually found in onci made known, of course the chartered
|inir»- . Mi. j bodi< syailed themselves largely of it
LILLESHALL ABBEY. 233
We know that in the spring of 1145, Stephen was occu-
pied in the eastern counties, specifically in Norfolk and
Suffolk ; we know that at the same time, Imarus, Bishop of
Tusculum, was in England as legate of Pope Lucius II., who
died during his deputy's embassy, viz. on Feb. 2(J, 1145.
This, then, is the proximate date of a charter 7 whereby
king Stephen, then at Bury St. Edmunds, "at the prayer of
Archdeacon Richard, grants and concedes to the Canons
Regular, of Duninton, the prebend which the said Richard
had in the church of St. Alchmund at Salopesbcry, and all
his demesne and things, and moreover, all the other prebends
of the aforesaid church, whenever they should fall vacant." 8
The first witness of this charter was Imarus, Bishop of Tus-
culum, legate, the second Robert (de Betun), Bishop of
Hereford.
It is obvious to me that the consent of the diocesan Bishop
(Roger de Clinton) to this enormous transfer of Church
estates was as yet wanting, and I know not that it will be
extravagant to associate his hesitation with a very natural
feeling of jealousy in behalf of his own foundation of Build-
was, which had already been brought into a kind of rivalry
by Philip de Belmeis' adoption of the Arroasian canons in
preference to the Savigniac monks. Still suggesting, rather
than asserting, I venture to point out how Eugenius III.
succeeded to the papal chair in March 1145 ; how Alexander,
Bishop of Lincoln, the great patron of the Arroasians, was
in especial favour with that pontiff ; how he visited him at
Rome in 1145-6, and again at Auxerre in 1147 ; and how,
within those intervals, Roger Bishop of Chester had the
Pope's order to confirm Richard de Belmeis' endowment of
the I)onino;ton canons. —
We know the latter fact, not from any existing charter of
Bishop Clinton, but from a succeeding and further confirma-
tory charter of Theobald, Archbishop of Canterbury, which
is preserved and records the circumstance.9
Theobald's charter, even if written in his exile, was appa-
" Lilleshall Chartulary, in possession 9 The original deed, with a perfect flea!
of the Duke of Sutherland, p. 48. of the Arebbishop, is among the Duke of
8 Or " be surrendered " by the existing Sutherland's Muniments at Trentham.
prebendaries; for I take it that the read- A copy thereof (given Afonasricon, vi.,
ing of the original, was " quando dila- 263, Num. VII.) is from fo. 46 of the
bantur." Perhaps, however, (whenever Lillesball Chartulary.
they should lapse) was the expression used.
2:ii THE MONASTERIES OF SHROPSHIRE.
rently written before he knew of the death of Roger de
Clinton, and therefore in or before 1148. It indicates one
if not two changes which had taken place since Stephen's
confirmation. It speaks of Belmeis' gift as intended for the
building of an abbey in the Wood of LiUeshull. Thither,
therefore, had the canons at length removed, viz. to a site
three miles distant from Donington Wood. There they
remained. Lilleshall Abbey was therefore commenced
between the years 1144 and 1148. Archbishop Theobald
also calls Richard de Belmeis, Dean of St. Alkmunds, and
describes his particular prebend to be that of LiUeshull and
Hetingeham (Atcham).
If Belmeis had only recently become Dean of St. Alkmunds,
and probably such was the case,1 it was obviously that he
might have every facility for converting the secular into the
regular establishment, a business which we know to have
been substantively and eventually completed. Thus, whether
in Belmeis1 time, or later, all the prebendal estates of St.
Alkmund's became the property of the canons of Lilleshall.
The next charter which I should notice, is the confirma-
tion of the empress Matilda to Lilleshall Abbey.-' This
interesting document seems to me to have passed very soon
after she quitted England, viz. in 1 148, but 1 must speak of
it with caution, as its nearly obliterated condition makes
some of the few words which I fancy myself to have deci-
phered \'-rv problematical. —
Matilda, the empress daughter of king Henry, addresses
William Fitz-Alan and Walter (perhaps his brother) and all
her faithful in Shropshire with greeting. She receives
William. Abbot of LylleshuU and the canons, who are there
serving God for the souls of her father Henry and her
mother Matilda, and for the welfare of herself and hers,
under her tutelage and protection. Wherefore, her will and
mandate was, thai the aforesaid William and his canons
should hold all their things freely and quietly: \i/. the
Church of St. Alcmund, of Salop, with its appurtenances and
franchises asalready confirmed to them by episcopal autho-
rity. The witnesses seem to be, II. (Hugh) Archbishop ol
ujJoceline, Bishop of Sarum; Philip, Bishop of Baieux ;
1 The 1 1 r> 1 1 1 • r.f the Dean of St, A IK- Stephens, was Adam. Monasticon, rol
miind'*, at the cl ■■■■ ol Henry l.'a reign, »ii. 750, No. nvi.
■ ■ commencement oi I II hall Cbartulary, p, 14.
LILLESHALL ABBEY. 235
Richard, her chancellor ; Robert de Curcy ; William do
Ansgervill. The deed (I think) is dated at Faleise.
We must now say a word as to the confirmation of Walter
Durdent, Bishop of Coventry (consecrated 2 Oct. 1149),
which seems to me to have passed soon after his succession,
and before September, 1152,3 when Richard de Bclmeis was
elevated to the see of London. The latter person is men-
tioned in Durdent's charter only as Dean of St. Alkmund's.
His conversion of the secular prebends is spoken of as a thing
done. The building of the Abbey of St. Mary, in the wood
at Lilleshull, has commenced. The previous confirmations of
king Stephen, pope Eugenius, archbishop Theobald, and
bishop Clinton, are all alluded to.4
Next follows the Charter of Henry duke of Normandy,
sought and obtained by the prudent canons of Lilleshall
while that prince was still an exile. It merely confirms the
Church of St. Alkmund's with all the privileges which it
enjoyed in time of Henry I. It is attested by Arnulf, bishop
of Liseux, (Humphrey) de Bohun. Walcheline Maminot,
William fitz Hamon, Warm fitz Gerald, Richard fitz Halde-
brond, and Manasser Biset. It is dated at Argentan, in
Normandy, and passed probably in 1151.5
The same prince's charter, after he ascended the throne,
is a document of some historical interest. He confirms all
things, quoting the previous charter and grant of his " Lady
the Empress," a mode of designating his mother, which I
have not elsewhere met with. The deed is attested by
R. (Robert) 6 Bishop of Lincoln, R. (Richard) Bishop of
London, Thomas the Chancellor, Manasser Biset Dapifer,
Warin fitz Gerald Chamberlain, Robert de Dunstanville and
Joceline de Baliol/ It is also dated at Alrewas "in exercitu,"
a circumstance which, with the witnesses' names, proves the
3 There is a doubt about this. One of In the autumn of that year bo became also
the witnesses is Geoffry Abbot, of Com- Earl of Anjou by Ins said Father's death ;
bermere, and William, first Abbot of and in 1152 he acquired further titles by
Combermere, is said to have been living his marriage with Eleanor of Poitou. In
in 1153, viz., when " Pelton Abley was the deed before u«, he simply styles bi in-
founded." There is, however, a strong self Duke of Normandy, but he is known
presumption that the foundation of Pelton to have used his other titles before his
was earlier than 1153. It 80, the objec- accession to the throne of England. The
tion to dating Walter Durdent's confirm- presumption therefore is that he used
ation earlier than 1153, is invalid. them as they accrued. (Vide Lilleshall
1 MonaBticon, \i. 263, No. Lv. Chartulary, p. 14 )
5 The date is assigned on these grounds. 6 yne uame /,;;,/,,,■,/ nas been used
Henry became Duke of Normandy early here by error of the transcriber.
in 1151, by cession of bis father Geoffrey. ' Lilleshall Chartulary, p. 44.
286 THE MONASTERIES OF SHROPSHIRE.
deed to have passed in the first year of Henry's reign (1 155) ;
hut whether the king took Alrewas (Staffordshire) in his
line of march when going to or returning from York in
February, or when going to or returning from Shropshire in
July, seems uncertain.8
A contemporary precept of the same king gives the ahhot
and canons of Lilleshall a new privilege, viz., an exemption
from " toll and passage," under a penalty of 10/. recoverable
from any one who should charge them with such dues.
It would 1'" beside my present purpose to attempt even a
Bummary of the various grants and privileges which were
bestowed on Lilleshall Abbey within the first century after
its foundation. Neither will I enumerate the bulls of popes,
or the charters of kings, archbishops, and bishops, which con-
firmed and recorded these successive benefactions.
As. however, I profess to give full particulars of the
Foundation of Lilleshall, it seems fitting to relate whatever
mi. iv is known of its founder,8 Richard de Belmeis.
Notwithstanding all his ecclesiastical dignities, he was not
ordained priest till September 20, 1152, when his previous
election to the Sec of London rendered that preliminary to
his consecration imperative. His consecration followed at
Canterbury, on Sunday. September 28, L152, Archbishop
Theobald officiating, and nearly every English Bishop
attending. —
Henry of Winchester, the only notable absentee, sent a,
in — .-I-.- to the synod exeusing his own non-attendance, but
expressing in high terms his assent to Belmeis' promotion.
Elegance of person, polished manners, industrious activity,
and scientific accomplishment, are all attributed to the new
bishop by his great panegyrist, who predicts that the tree
now to be planted in God's temple will, with divine help,
flourish and be fruitful. Such was the pious tone assumed
bj Henry of Blois, who, though do1 asyel sated with ambition
and statecraft, gave after-evidence that he sometimes spoke
both solemnly and sincerely.
Richard de Belmeis, Bishop of London, Beems to have been
a part) to tin' conventions which, in I L53, gave peace t<> the
- Antiquities of Shropshire, by the Rev. which Philip de Belmeii had in tin'
I: \\ i. ton, vol. i. p matter. For an account of him, see An
■ ' iIm- i. in founder would be tiquitiet of Shropshire, voL ii. pp.
i ace to thi linn
LILLESHALL ABBEY. 237
distracted nation by settling the succession on Henry Duke
of Normandy.
On December 19, 1154, lie attended the coronation of that
prince at Westminster. I find him occasionally but not
often at court in 1155 ; and Prince Henry, who was born at
London on February 28, was baptised by Bishop Belmeis.
The next year the king was in Normandy, but a court
held at Colchester May 24, 1157, was attended by Belmeis.
Not again at any later period do I hear of him in public or
in attendance on the king. He died on the fourth of May,
1162, after suffering for many years from some disorder
which, as one of the chroniclers informs us, deprived him of
speech.1 His uncle, the former Bishop of London, was, as
we know, attacked by paralysis many years before his death,
and the nephew's malady was not improbably of a similar
nature. His age at his death must have been considerably
less than sixty.
No record remains of his having done anything for the fabric
of the Church of St. Paul's, the Cathedral of his See. His whole
cares of this kind were probably devoted to the completion of
that Augustine Abbey of which we have been speaking. It
was associated with the neighbouring heritage of his kinsmen
and with the memories of his own early advancement : — it
was situated also in the county which had nursed the greater
genius and fortunes of his illustrious uncle.
1 Job. Hagustald. col. 278.
VOL. XII II
NOTICE OF A REMARKABLE SEPULCHRAL BRASS OF FLE-
MISH DESIGN, IN THE CHURCH OF WENSLEY, YORKSHIRE.
UY THE Ki:v. JAMES KAINK. .TUX., PRINCIPAL OF NEVILLE IIAI.I.
Ni:\V( ASTLK-ON-TYNE.
In the clioir of the church of Wensley in the North Riding
of the County of York there is a splendid brass, which has
long attracted the admiration of archaeologists. It represents
an ecclesiastic with a chalice and the host laid upon his
breast. The priestly vestments are most beautifully executed,
and the whole figure is so carefully designed and admirably
wrought as to deserve a high place among our clerical
-es.1 It is probably the production of some Flemish
artist, and it has been supposed to commemorate a rector of
the church during the XlVth century. The name of the
ecclesiastic who is thus represented has been long forgotten,
as the fillet of brass which ran round the edge of the stone,
and which contained the inscription, has been removed or
destroyed. At the head of the figure there has been let
into the marble stone a small square tablet of brass, bearing
the following inscription : —
"Oswaldus Dykes jaceo hie; Rector hujus ccclesia1 \\
annos, reddidi animam j Decemb. 1607.
"Non tnoriar sed rivara el narrabo opera Domini."
Thifi tablel detracts Bomewhal from the effect of the
stately figure which lies beneath it, but we have to thank
Oswald Dykee for the name of his predecessor, into whose
resting-place he so unceremoniously intruded. In his will,
dated on the Beventh of November L607, and proved .-it
Jfork en the 2nd of February following, he desires "to be
buried in the quier of Wenslow, under the stone where Sir
Symond Wenslow was buried, yfyl please God soe to provide
the -.'ime. havinge this superscription, Non moriar sed uiinam
Tbori i :i i.-ii ■• « ii - 1 . i \ 1 1 1 lc <>f this Mutation in Waller1! Sepulchral Bn
ii Or win:, i' iii toryol Rich ii oecurt ilao in Mi- Boutell'i Monu-
, and :i more accural repn mental Brawea and Slab*, p. 20,
SEPULCHRAL BRASS AT WEXSLEY, YORKSHIRE. 239
ut narrabfi opera Domini." This inscription differs slightly
from that which occurs upon the tablet. The clerk evidently
made a mistake when he was transcribing the will. This
document gives us the name of the rector whom the brass
commemorates — Sir Simon de Wenslegh. Before however
I turn to him, a few brief notices of Oswald Dykes may be
; i ] >] iropriately introduced.
Oswald Dykes, Rector of Wensley, was, I believe, a
younger son of Thomas Dykes, Esq., of the parish of Burgh-
on-Sands, in Cumberland, by Anne, daughter of John Layton,
Esq., of Dalemain. His will contains some interesting bequests,
and I give some extracts from it.
" To the parishe of Plumland in Cumberland, where I was
borne, 5l., at the discretion of the parson and of William
Orfeur, Esq., my cozen. To Sir John Dalston my weightiest
ringe of gould, and to my Ladye his wife an unyon.2 To
every poore house in Laborn, Wenslowe and Preston, 12d.
To my brother Robert Dykes my best satten doublet. I give
my librarie of bookes unto my brother Edward Dykes parson
of Distington. To my Ladie Bellingham a booke called
Grenehams second tombe. My wife, Mrs. Emme Dykes,
executrix. To my neece, Mr. Leonard Dyke's his wife, of
Wardall, my bell salt gilted over with gold.3 To my
countreman Edward Gibson a booke called Mallarette upon
Sainte Mathewe. To my sonne Daniell Hodgson that is
now at Stoad in Germany my goodly foale with the starne
in the head. To Rachell Hodgson my virginalls." Dykes
was presented to the rectory of Wensley by lord Scrope,
June 5, 1587.
It was by no means unusual to appropriate earlier grave-
stones and to disturb the remains which they covered. The
great number that sought interment in the churches rendered
this appropriation necessary. Altar tombs and stone coffins
appear to have been used again without the slightest scruple,
and in many cases we may still observe two or three inscrip-
- Probably a fine pearl, unio ; the term resembling a bell, and terminating in a
i- so used by Shakepeare, Hamlet, V., 2. perforated ball, was exhibited by the
See Nares. It lias been suggested, how- Rev. F. Raines, in the Museum of the
ever, that it may signify a betrothal ring, Institute, at the York Meeting, 1846.
a gimme! ; Fr. allia/nce, sometimes formed (Museum Catalogue, York volume, p. 16.)
of a thread or wire of ^'"M interlined A similar salt is described, Gent. .Ma^r.
with one of silver. vol. xxiii. N.S , p. 136.
3 A double salt of remarkable form,
2-iO SEPULCHRAL BRASS
tions of different dates upon the same stone. The incumbent
might, of course, select the place for his own interment, and
he occasionally made a curious selection. In 1585, Thomas
Taylor, Rector of Langton upon Swaile, desired " to be
buried in oonder an owld tombe or monyment within the
chaunsell of Lanketon," bequeathing " to Thos. Rychmounde,
or to eanye other in his absence for openynge and cnclosynge
of my tombe, of there owne proper costes and charges, xs."
The tomb, here referred to, is probably that of an ecclesiastic
in the north wall of the church, of which Dr. Whitaker gives
an engraving. I may here mention the burial place of
another llichmondshire, incumbent, as recorded in his parish
register,
" Thomas Tothall, rector of Romaldkirkc, departed this
life the 26th of December, 1664, about half an houre past
nine of the clock att night and was interred the 28 day of
December, in the chancell under the marble stone which
adjoinesto the north side of Parson Livelie his tombe." This
rector was the son of Christopher Tothall, notary public, who
was buried in the same church, as he desired, " in linncn,
without chiste or cophin," on the 31st of March, 1628,
"sub marmore juxta marmor vel tumulum Domini Johannis
Lewelyne defuncti." I now turn to Sir Simon de Wenslagh.
Sir Simon de Wenslagh was a man of eminence in character
and position. He was probably a member of the ancient
family of Wenslagh,4 which was of some influence and con-
sideration in Yorkshire. The Wenslaghs were connected
with the great Baronial House of Scrope, and it was probably
to that illustrious family that the Rector of Wensley was
indebted for his christian name, Simon. The first notice we
have of Sir Simon de Wenslagh is in the year L352. On
the 14th of September in that year, Henry de Bellerby puts
Simon de Wenslawo. clerk, together with John de Huthwate,
clerk, and Philip do Pulford, chaplain, in trust for the whole
of his manor of Walburn,8 This manor the trustees release
to Bellerby and his wife fifteen days afterwards. Soon after
this, Sir Simon was preferred bv Richard Lord Scrope of
1 The family of Wenslagh bore for their tin- Bame place in 1895. A Simon <1"
ami-, Vert, four escallops in c ; Wen lagh was incumbent of Co wlam-upon-
•■f eacfa being turned toward* the the Wold, and died, circa, I H5. He was
i •>: John 'I'- Wenslagh, probably nephew, or some kinsman <>f tin1
with' •■ wi Hunt, r at W.'illiimi in l.'Cil. rrrtor of Wi-nsley,
as another at ■ See note A.
AT WENSLEY, YORKSHIRE. 241
Bolton to the valuable and important rectory of Wensley.6
Bolton, the residence of the Scropes, was in the immediate
vicinity of Wensley, and I am inclined to think that Sir Simon
became now very closely connected with that distinguished
family. Almost all the available legal knowledge of those
times was centred in the ecclesiastics, and the lords of Bolton
would gladly enrol among their clients one who, in addition
to his own local influence, was so well qualified by his
ability to advance their interests. We soon find Sir Simon
again undertaking the trusteeship of the Walburn estates.
On the 8th of June, 1361, Henry de Bellerby and Alice his
wife put Simon parson of Wenslaw, John de Wawton, and
others, in trust for the lordship of Walburn, and their estates
in Bolton-on-Swale, Leeming, Scurveton (Jiodie Scruton) and
Crakehall. The subsequent release is missing. Eight years
afterwards, for the third time, we find the Rector of Wensley
put in trust for the same estates. On the 21st of September,
1368, Henry de Bellerby grants all his lands in Walburn,
Bellerby, Bolton-on-Swale, Great Langton, Leeming and
Exilby, together with the lordship of Walburn, to Simon,
parson of Wenslaw, John de Huthwat, parson of Danby
Wiske, and Philip de Fulford, chaplain. This trust was
released by Wenslaw and his co-trustees to Bellerby shortly
afterwards. We now lose sight of Sir Simon for a consider-
able period. The next and the last time that he occurs is
in the year 1386, when he appears at York as a witness on
behalf of his patron lord Scrope, in the celebrated controversy
with Sir Richard Grosvenor, who had usurped the ancient
bearing of the Scropes, azure, a bend or. Sir Simon had now
an excellent opportunity for repaying the kindness of his
patron, and his statements are so singularly curious and
important, that I shall give them at length. His testimony
was evidently considered extremely valuable, and it occupies
a prominent position among the depositions 7 which were then
received. It runs as follows : — ■
" Sir Simon, parson of the church of Wynsselowe, of the
age of sixty years and upwards, said, certainly that the arms
azure, a bend or, appertained to Sir Richard Scrope, for that
G Dr. Whitaker siys, that Sir Simon " I must refer my readers to the Scrope
was presented to this living on the 29th and Grosvenor Roll, edited by Sir Harris
of September, 1361. This date is incor- Nicolas, to which I am greatly indebted,
rect, but I am unable to give the exact
time of his appointment.
242 SEPULCHRAL BRASS
they were in his church of Wynsselowe,8 in certain glass
windows of that church, of which Sir Richard was patron;
and on the wesl gable window of the said church wore the
entire arms of Sir Richard Scrope in a glass window, the
setting up of which anus was beyond the memory of man.
The said arms were also in divers other parts of the said
church, and in his chancel in a glass window, and in the east
gable also were the said arms placed amongst the arms of
Lords, such as the King, the Karl of Northumberland,
the Lord of Neville, the Karl of Warren. He also said that
there was a tomh in his cemetery of Simon'-' Scrope, as
might be seen by the inscription on the tomb, who was
buried in the ancient fashion in a stone chest, with the
inscription, Cy gist Simond le Scrope, without date. And
after Simon Scrope lieth one Henry Scrope, son of the said
Simon, in the same manner as his father, next the side of
his father, in the same cemetery. And after him lieth
William, son of the said Henry Scrope, who lieth in the
manner aforesaid beneath the stone, and there is graven
thereon, Ycy gist William Is Sa 'ope, without date, for the
bad weathe^ wind, and BnOW, and rain, had BO defaced it,
that no man could make out the remainder of the writing,
so old and defaced was it. Several others of his lineage and
name were buried there, one after the other, under Large
square stones, which being so massive were sunk into the
earth, so thai uo more of the stone than the summit of it
could be Been ; and many other of their sons and daughters
were buried under greal 9tones. Prom William came Henry
Scrope,1 knight, who Lieth in the U)beyofSt. Agatha, armed
in the arm-, azure, a bend or, which Sir Henry was founder
of the said abbey ; and Sir William8 Scrope, elder brother of
Sir Richard thai now is, lieth in the Bame abbey,3 with the
arms depicted, bul nol painted. The said Sir Simon placed
before tin' Commissioners an alb with flaps, upon which were
embroidered the arms of the Scropes entire, the making of
which arms and the name of the donor were beyond the
1 The ehnrch of Wenaley contain otne oi the monumenta in the cemetery which
a morials ol the Scropes and Sir Simon mentions ere now observable
i he only iroi ' See note It.
r- in the window! in Dr. \sint ' See not C.
wer< Hi" w "I Scrope sod • note I '
i he church m i con idi rably I i.
ll' in \ \ 1 1. None
AT WENSLEY, YORKSHIRE. 243
memory of man. He added that the patronage of his church
of Wynsselowe had always been vested in Sir Richard
Scrope and his ancestors bearing the name of Scrope, beyond
the memory of man ; and that the arms azure, a bend or,
had always been reputed to belong to him and his ancestors,
and he never heard to the contrary ; he had never heard
that the arms had been challenged, or of Sir Richard
Grosvenor, or any of his ancestors."
After this deposition, we hear no more of Sir Simon. He
was above sixty years of age in 1386, when he gave his
evidence, and he probably died before the new century
began. He is not mentioned in the will of his patron, lord
Scrope,4 which was made in the year 1400. That illustrious
nobleman was a great benefactor to Wensley, and we can
hardly suppose that he would have omitted the name of the
aged rector, if he had been then alive.
JAMES RAINE, JUN.
NOTES.
a. Walburn Hall, near Richmond in Yorkshire, was the ancient estate of
the family of Bellerby. Margaret, daughter and heir of Henry de Bellerby,
married Peter Greathead, whose daughter and heir carried the estate into
the family of Sedgwick. The heiress of the Sedgwicks married into the
house of Lascelles of Brackenbergh. The estate afterwards came by purchase
into the family of Hutton, and it is at present in the possession of Timothy
Hutton, Esq., of Marske Hall, who has carefully restored the building.
The present hall was built during the reign of Elizabeth, but some of the
walls and other traces of the ancient mansion of the Bellerbys are still
remaining. There used to be some fine old panelling and stained glass in
the hall, but it is no longer to be found. Walburn Hall was garrisoned for
Charles I. during the great rebellion by some companies of the Richmond-
shire train-bands, who were supplied with provisions by Matthew
Hutton, Esq., of Marske. The little parish church of Downeholme con-
tains no memorials of the owners of Walburn save a rude shield bearing the
arms of Bellerby, or, a chevron gules, between 3 bells argent.
B. Simon le Scrope of Flotmanby was of full age in 1205. He was
living in 1225, and, on his death, was buried at Wensley. By Ingolian. his
wife, he had Henry le Scrope, his son and heir, who was of full age in 1205.
lie married Julian, daughter of Roger Bruue of Thornton, by whom he had
a son, William le Scrope, who was interred at Wensley, near his father.
C. Henry Scrope, Knight Banneret, Lord of Croft, co. Ebor, 27 Edw. I.
Judge of the Common Pleas, 1308. Chief Justice of the King's Bench,
1317. Chief Justice of the Common Pleas, 1327. Chief Justice of the
1 See note F.
2 1 1 BEPULCHEAL BEASS AT \YK Nsi.KY. FOEKSHIEE.
King's Bench, 1330. Chief Baron of the Exchequer, 1333. He died,
Sept. 7, 133b, and was buried in the abbey of St. Agatha, where, as the
Abbot trlls as, in his evidence in the Scrape and Grosvenor controversy,
" Under the choir and higher up in a part of their church above the choir
under raised Btones, and upon the stone, is the representation of a knight
painted with the arms azure, a bind or, who was called in his life-time
[enry Scrope, one of the founders of the Baid abbey."
i'. Sir William Scrope was born in 1320. Ho Berved in the wars of
Scotland and Brittany, and died. November 17, 1''! 1, of a wound received
at Morlaix. lie was buried at Easby, " sculptured on a high tomb, armed,
and the arms engraven on a shield represented upon him without colours."
e. The beautiful abbey of St. Agatha, near Richmond, was supported,
reat extent, by the piety and munificence of the Scropes. The abbot,
; pears aa a witness in the Scrope and Grosvenor controversy, after
describing the tombs of the founder and his family, tells us, that there
W( re many others of the family buried there, " under flat stones with their
effigies sculptured thereon, and their shields represented with their arms,
and mi one side of the shield a naked sword ; and their arms were through-
out the church of St. Agatha in glass windows, on tablets before altars, on
vestments, chambers, glass windows of chambers, in their refectory, and on
a corporal case of silk, the making of which and the donor of it were
beyond memory. He refers to the Chronicle of Bridlington as his authority
for the Scropes using the arms, and says that the family was so ancient as
to Burpass the memorj of man." A weather-beaten shield, with their well-
known bearing, on the porch of the parish church, is now the only me-
morial of the Scropee at Easby. Jt is extremely probable that the chapel
of the Familj within the monastery will ere long he opened out by the owner
of the estate.
i. Richard, first Lord Scrope of Bolton, a most distinguished soldier and
man, and one of the greatest men of his day. A full account of
ploite ami services will be found in the Scrope and Grosvenor Roll ;
to which must be appended bis interesting will, which has been given
in the Testaments Bboracensia, Vol. I. p. cc, published by the Surtees
In that document the testator leaves 402. to repair the bridge at
Wen ley, and be bequeaths tin; remainder of his vast estate to his Alms
liOU.-e- and ( lollege at \Yen-by.
THE CHURCH OF ST. MARY THE GREAT, CAMBRIDGE.
BY THE REV. EDMUND VENABLES, M.A.'
There is perhaps no object so completely identified with
the idea of Cambridge in the mind of every member of this
University, as the Church of Great St. Mary. Conspicuous
from its situation in the very centre of the town, and from
being by many degrees the largest and most stately of its parish
churches, there is no other building which has for so long a
period been so intimately connected with the public life of
the University. It is within its walls, or those of the churches
which occupied the same site, that the University has for
centuries been accustomed to assemble in its corporate capa-
city, to hear sermons, and perform all the more solemn reli-
gious ceremonials ; and it was here that, until the erection of
the Senate House, the Commencements were kept, the speeches
recited, the theological disputations held, and much public
business transacted which has now happily obtained a dis-
tinct and more appropriate location. It seemed, therefore,
only fitting that at the Cambridge Meeting of the Archaeolo-
gical Institute some attempt should be made to illustrate the
history of this, the oldest, and, in many points of view, the
most interesting of our University buildings ; more especially
at a time when the extensive alterations which have taken
place in its immediate vicinity, render some large and well-
considered work of renovation almost an object of necessity,
and an opportunity is thereby presented of removing the
awkward and unsightly excrescences by which this noble
edifice has too long been deformed, and restoring to the inte-
rior that air of space and grandeur which it originally pos-
sessed, but which, in its present encumbered state, can hardly
be appreciated. My purpose has not been so much to
illustrate the architecture, as the history of the church, and
to present a record of the more interesting events which have
from time to time been transacted within it, and of those
1 Communicated to the Architectural Section at the Meeting of the Institute in
Cambridge, July C, 1854.
VOL. III. K K
246 Tin: CHURCH OF ST. MAUY THE CHEAT. CAMBRIDGE.
successive alterations in its services, and furniture, which so
accurately index the mutations in the national creed, and the
varying tone of feeling of the governing body in the Church,
and University.
Tlir original foundation of St. Mary's is wrapt in the same
irity with that of most of our parish churches. The first
notice I have been able to discover of it, is of its being " much
with fire," July !>, 1290.2 This injury was attributed
to the Jews, those scapegoats of the middle ages, who were
in consequence commanded to leave the town, where they
had a large synagogue. A considerable time seems to have
elapsed before the damage was fully repaired, for, in 1315,
Alan de Wellis, burgess of the town, bequeathed " a mark
to the building of St. Mary's Church/'3 From Bishop
s Register we learn that orders for the consecration
of the high altar were sent, May 17, 1346, but from some
unknown cause the ceremony Beems not to have taken place
till March L5, L351. About this time the advowson was
given by I'M ward III. to his new foundation of Kind's
Hall, from which it has descended to its present possessors,
Trinity College. As the chief church of the town it is
probable thai it was from the first the place where the
University a-- mbled lor religious purposes, and that it thus
gradually acquired the character of the University Church,
Other churches, however, shared tlii< dignity with it. In the
fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, while >st. Mary's was slowly
advancing to completion, the University met in St. Benet's
Church, or that of the Austin Friars, "which stood on die site
of die ul d Botanical Garden.4 The church of the Franciscans,
which m 1 "ii Sidney Sussex fouling green, was also fre-
quently used lor public exercises, and as late as 1507, the
Commencemenl was held there. It is nol generally known
thai ill1. University narrowly missed obtaining, in tins last-
named church, tli. -it which has for so Long a tune been desired
Ij\- her possession of a church free from all parochial claims,
which die mi-Ill regard ;i- exclusively her own, and use
without question or dispute. This was at the Dissolution of
- Fa]] 1 1 • 0,11,1,. p, 77 Bi a use of the parish bell. In the Unireraity
account* «>■ find " \ i>. I 198, pro emenda-
lione /• < impane Sci Benedict!,
time the Univi Pro una oorda campane magui
■ -■ Beneti Sci Benedicti iiijd." The last payment
1 annuaJlj fox th< for th< u i "t the lull w> mi
THE CHURCH OF ST. MARY THE GREAT, CAMBRIDGE. 247
Monasteries, when the University applied to Henry VIII. for
a gift of the church which they had already found so suitable
to their requirements ; but the monarch turned a deaf ear
to their request, and gave the sacred edifice to Trinity College,
(which he had recently founded by the amalgamation of
several smaller halls and hostels,) whose members, actuated
by a very different spirit from that which now distinguishes
that noble foundation, immediately pulled it down, and
employed the best of the materials in erecting their own
buildings.5 But, to return to the subject of the present paper :
within two centuries of its repair after the fire, little more
than one after the consecration of its Altar, it was found neces-
sary, either from its ruinous condition, or from the church
being inadequate in size and beauty to the requirements and
taste of the University, to rebuild the whole, and the first
stone of the present building was laid May 16, 1478, "at forty-
five minutes past six p.m." 6 " All church wrork," says Fuller,
" is slow ; the mention of St. Mary's mindeth me of church
work indeed, so long was it from the founding to the finishing
thereof." And well might he say so ; for, as he further
records, notwithstanding the great exertions made by the
University to obtain contributions to the building, and the
liberal sums voted by them from their own chest, forty-one
years elapsed before the fabric of the church was finished, and
a hundred and thirty before the top stone of the tower was
laid, and the edifice completed. The same historian informs
us that "there was expended in the structure of the church
alone, 7951. 2s. Id., all bestowed by charitable people for that
purpose." 7 The largest benefactor wras Dr. Thomas Barrow,
Archdeacon of Colchester, Fellow of King's Hall, and Chan-
cellor of the House to Richard III., who gave no less than
240/. ; nearly one-third of the entire sum ; the next largest
sum, 70/., was contributed by Bishop Alcock of Ely. King
Henry VII. also, when visiting his mother's recent foundation
of Christ's College, was persuaded to assist in the work, giving
100 marks (661. 13s. id.) in money, " a fair sum in that age,"
says Fuller, "for so thrifty a prince," besides an hundred
oaks towards the framing of the roof, which was set up in
1506.8 The Lady Margaret herself gave 20/. Of the sums
given by and through the University between the years 1 1 78
5 Essex. MSS. A'lilit. Brit, Mus. Acker- s In commemoration of his munificence
man, Mia osm of Cambridge, ii. 261. a yearly obit waa kept by the University
6 Caii Hist. Acad. p. 89. for which a pall of great splendour was
" Hist. Univ. Camb. p. ISO. provided.
24S THE CHURCH OF ST. MARY THE GREAT, CAMBRIDGE.
and 1519, a record exists among App. Parker's MSS. in the
library of C.C.C.9 The whole amount is 555/. 2*. Id. The
Bums are very small for the first nine years, when they sud-
denly rise to upwards of 9(>/., and nearly 60/. in the year
following (1488). After this the contributions sink again,
till 1503, in which, and the six ensuing years, nearly three
hundred pounds were supplied by the University. Thesmall-
ness of the collections for so many years was not the conse-
quence of any want of zeal on the part of the University,
who, in 141*3, went so far as to send out the Proctors on hired
horses, to collect for the Church, with begging letters written
by the Vicar of Trumpington, who received 6s. &d. for his
trouble. Their journey, however, which lasted three weeks,
proved a sad failure, for the whole sum furnished by the
University this year, from every source, amounted to no more
than 5/. 2s. 2\d. ; and wTe are not surprised that the experi-
ment does not appear to have been repeated.1 The general
superintendence of the building seems to have been com-
mitted to the parish, who appear to have been the willing
recipients of the bounty of others, while they contributed
little or nothing themselves towards the work, which was
creeping on in the midst of many difficulties and discourage-
ments, and was at last completed in L519, with the exception
of the tower, for which it had to wait nearly another century.
As the body of the church drew to a conclusion, we find
notices of the glazing of the windows. Henry Vese}r, apo-
thecary, by his will dated April 15. 1503, orders that "imme-
diately after the south yle is new made mye executors do
glase one of the windows with the lyfof S. Edward the King
and Confe8SOr.w In 1518 the parish books contain "pro
l'aliro vitriario pro fenestris \i ," and the nexl year,"1519,
paid to James Nycolson, the glasier, for windows in Seynt
Mary's, vii. lib." Nicholson wasoneofthe glaziers employed
in the executing the windows of King's College Chapel, from
the gorgeous tints of winch we may form some idea of what
we have losl in the total destruction of the glass winch once
■ Printed in Dr. Lamb' u Documents," rigintidiebus \x\"
p. 7. See Baker MSS The vicar of Trumpington oftbaf day
Proctor*! Account*, 1498. "Winn seems from the University a tuntstohave
they went with letters for S. Maries pro !»•'■" generally employed i" write letters
senptione literarum Vicario de Tram- f'<>r lii^ learned neighbours, eg., " L499.
, vC. mij1." yicar.de Trampiton pro Uteris ad mat
"Exp pro itinera Procura- rem regis delatis w1." "pro scriptione
toram ram Uteris pro fabrica, ESeel B, aliaram >j ' " u 1500, pro scriptione trinm
tribni equis la Itinare pro literarum 16d."
THE CHURCH OP ST. MARY THE GREAT, CAMBRIDGE. 249
adorned St. Mary's. The building of King's College Chapel
was being carried on at the same time with St. Mary's, and it
is seen by the entries in the churchwarden's books that the
same workmen were employed on the fabric of each edifice,
as well as on their windows.
The church being now completed, very nearly in the form
in which we at present see it, with the exception of the
tower, which was not finished for nearly a century, steps
were taken to provide it with the furniture required by the
existing ritual. Nothing was then considered more essential
to the completeness of a church than a gorgeous Rood Loft.2
Parishes vied with one another in the rich and elaborate
character of the structures which had by degrees usurped
the place of the primitive cancelli, and though few have been
allowed to survive the iconoclastic zeal of the Reformation,
or the ignorance of later (so-called) church restorers and beau-
tifiers, those that remain enable us to appreciate the taste and
skill which were employed in their erection, and the lavish
expenditure which they must have involved. No doubt
every effort was made to furnish the University Church in this
respect with the utmost splendour ; and the original inden-
ture for its erection, which has been fortunately preserved to
us, proves that St. Mary's Rood Loft was one of no common
magnificence. This document is as follows : 3 —
" Thys Indenture made ye last day of June in the xij yere of ye reign
of our soueraigne lord Kyng Henry viij, bytwen Petir Cheke 4 gentilman
and Rob1, Smith, wex-chaundeler chirche wardyns and kepers of ye goods
and catells of yesd p'ishe chirche of Seyn* Marye next the Markett of Cam-
brigge, Mr- Wm- Butt Doctor of physike, Mr- Henry Hallched, Richard
Clerk, Rob1, Hobbys &c. with other raor parochianers of ye sd parisshe un
that oon parte, And John Nunn of Drynkeston and Roger Belle of Ashfild
in ye countie of Suffolk, kervers, on that other parte, Wittnessyth that the
sd John Nune and Roger Belle covenaunt and graunte and also bynden
them, ther heyres, and executors by theise presents, that they schall make
and cause to be made a new Roodde lofte mete and convenyent for je sd
Chirche of Seyn4 Marye stretchynge in lengthe throughoute the same chirche,
2 There was among the Church furni- 4 This was probably the father of the
ture in 1506, " A clothe for the rood-lofte famous Sir John Cheke, immortalised by
Bteyned with Moses." Milton (Sonnet xi) as the reviver of the
8 This indenture was found by the late study of Greek in the University, and
industrious Mr. Bowtell in the parish chest, tutor of king Edward V.
tied up with others and labelled '• these He was one of the esquire bedells of
deeds appear to be useless." Happily the University, and died 1 5"29, bequeath-
he took a transcript of it, which is to be iug "his soil to Almyty God, and to our
found in his MSS. in Downing College. On Lady St. Mary, and to all th' hole com.
searching the chest, the original cannot pany of heven, and hys body to be buried
now be found. in St. Mary Chyrche before Sent Poll."
250 THE CHURCH OF ST. MARY THE GREAT. CAMBRIDGE.
and the lies tlierof, correspondent to B dure made in a walle un yc Soutlio
of v sJ Chirche. all y8 Howsyngs, Crests, Voults, Orbs, Lyntells,
Vorcers, Crownes, Archebotyns, and Bacs' for y small Bowsyngs and all yc
, fynyalls, and gabeletts therof, schall be of good Substancyall and
hable wavnescote : And all yl pryncypal] BaCS and Crownes for ye great how-
Byngs therof and v Archebotyns therunto belongyng, schal be of good and
hable oke withoute sappe, ri 1 1 c, wyndestrukk, or other deformatiff hurtefull.
•■ And v briste of ye Beyd new Roodde Lofte schal be after and accordyng
iriste of ye Roodelofte within ye p'isshe Chirche of Tripplow in all
maner honsyngs, fynyalls, gabeletts, formes, fygures, and rankcnesse of
Werke as good or better in ev"ry poynte.
" And \ ■'' briste of ye sayde new Roodelofte schal be in depnesse viij foots,
and v soler6 therof schal ho in bredith viij foots with surhe yomags 7&b Bchal
be advysed and appoynted by y* parochyners of yc said p'isshe of Seynt
Maryes And the Trenitie, after yc Roodelofte of ye perclose of yc qnyer with
a double dore, y percloses of ycij chappells eyther of ym with a Bingledore.
The bakkesyde of y1' Bayd Roodelofte to be also lyke to ye bakkesyde of ye
Roodelofte of Gassely or bettor, wyth a8poulpete into the niydds of ye
quyer. And all and ev'ry of these premysses schal be after and accordyng
to the Trenitie, the Vonltc, the dores, yc percloses and y works
of v R lelofte of ye Chirche of Gassely in ye countye of Suffolke, as good
or better in ev'ry poynte, and to agree and accord for ye'' of ye
Bayde Cbirche of Seynt dfary after y° best workmanBchippe and proporcon
in eu'ry poynte. And all ye Tymber of the same Roodelofte schal ho lull
med tymher. And all ye Yomags therof schal be of good pyketurs,
-.and 'Vicenamyes without Ryfts, Crakks, or other deformatyvys.
The pillours therof schal be of full seisoned oke.
" The honsyngs, entayles, lyntells, fynyalls, and gabeletts, schal bo
Waynschott, And also schal set up a Berne whempon yc Roode schall Btonde
lyke unto yc Berne within yc sayde Roode of Gassely as good or hotter as
1 heme of Gassely, met and convenyeni for y1 -aid Chirche of Seynt
Marye. And also schall make a Candyllbeme mete and convenyeni for
our Ladye Chappell within y° aayd Chirche of Seynt Mary. All theise
premysses after and accordyng to the best werkmanschipp and proporcon as
good a- the patrons afore rehersed he, or hotter in eu'ry poynte. to be
babied and juged in fcyme convenyeni after y' be made and BfynisBhed by
• Professor Willis, u Architectural No- pinnacles, and the ornamented canopies
menclature of the Middle Agi of the niches, the former word never
•■mii- as "the elementary partaof being applied in the middle ogee, in us
tabernacle and canopy work of the rich I present restricted sense, t" the bnnch of
ur m thai which crowna foliage at the top of a pinnacle or canopy,
tin- monuments, stalls, and altars "f iliis which now usurps the name.
. ■ // | .;i led also The Boor <>i the Loft or gallery con-
.-in- 1 I. ad i"r tab< rnacli i or tuning the Rood,
nichi 1 b kttlementa, ; [ma
or other ornamental finishing ; net- Pulpit,
I for blank panelling; ' [n the copy of this Indenture in Bow-
for the upper portion "f windows; tail's MS-., this blank is filled up with the
word Rume,markod however as doubtful : 1
• li. % i'ii- . are, probably, am unable to guess what the true res
nl in - ■-. oh canopies ; on A- ' " 1
ii Hying buttn as ; bact for the "Whena the paine of death he tasted had
in, a1 m \\ ■ i . . . -ii Aii'l but ball scene ln-^ <> [ly in nomte.'
in ii.- mal • r niches ; Queen, V. iv. 11.
while, lastly, 1 1 ■ * ai i the
THE CIIIKCII OF ST. MARY THE GREAT, CAMBRIDGE. 251
two indifferent persones, wherof oon 9chal be chose by ye foresaide chirche-
wardens and paroehianers of Seynt Mary p'isshe : tliodir by yc sayde Jobn
Nunn and Roger Bell. And ye saide John Nunne and R. Bell covenaunt
and graunte by these presents that they schall clerly and holly ffynysshe all
and eu'ry of ye sayde premysses accordyng as ys afore rehersed, byfore ye
ffest of pentycost, whiche Bchal be in yc yere of our lord god in1 Dc .\.\ij.
For whyche premysses so to be accomplysshed and don, the sayde Chirche-
wardens and paroehianers afore-named by th' assent and consent of all ye
paroehianers of ye said parisshe, covenaunt, and graunte, and also bynde
them, and ther Executors, by these presents, to pay therfore and cause to
be payed unto the sayde J. Nunne and Roger to ther Executurs and
assigneB lxxxxj1 iij8- viijd- sterling, wherof ye saide J. Nunne and Roger
knowlegge thcmselffs well and truly to be content and payed and therof
dothe utterly acquyt and discharge ye saide Chirchewardens and parochyaners
ther Executors and Assignes by theise presents.
"And xl. sterling resydue of yc saycd suiume schal be payed unto ye
sayde J. Nunne and Roger to their hers Executors and Assignes, in maner
and forme folowyng ; That ys to Wytte atte ye fest of yc Natyvyte of Seynt
John Baptist nextcoumyng, after yc date herof, xx1- sterling, And atte suche
tyme as the sayde J. Nunne and Roger have clerly and holly fynysshed all
ye premysses other xx1- sterling in full payment and contentacon of thefore-
sa yd sume of Lxxxxij1- iij8- viiijd' To ye which couenaunt payments graunts
and articles aforesaid and eury of them or eyther parte of the foresaid
partyes well and truly to be obserued performed and kept, eyther of ye sayde
parties bynde them to tliodir ther hers and Executors in ye sume of an cL
sterling by these presents.
" Into Witnesse wherof ye parties aforesayde to theise Indenturs Inter-
changably haue putte ther Sealls. Goven the day and yer abovesaid.
" per me ROGERUM BELLE,
"per me JOHN N~UNE."
The works of the Rood Loft seem to have been continued
during part of three years, and to have been brought to a
conclusion in 1523, when the images of the Blessed Virgin
and St. John on either side of the Rood were dedicated.2
Further decorative works, however, were carried on for some
years longer, and in 1525 we find it noted in the parish
books that the executors " of Mr. John Erliche owe for a
Legace by hym made to the said chirche over and by sides, 60s.
already paid, for the guylding of the Triniti in the Rode Loft."
In 1519, the body of the church was seated by general
subscription ; 71. 17s. 5d. was raised, and 30s. was paid to
William "Why to " for the full contentacyon of the paryssche
parte of the payment." A few years later a very early
instance of the practice of letting seats is met with in the
- Parish Books. u It. for holowyng ofyc Ymagcsce of Mari and Jhon viijd."
252 THE CHURCH OF ST. MA1IY THE GREAT, CAMBRIDGE.
parish books — "recd of the Materasse maker in the Petycuri
for the Lncumbe of a seate xvijd." In 153S, the side chapel
was erected and seats made in it ".•it ye charge of xx.wiip
iiiij'." and two new seats were made in the body of the
church, for the "bord and tymber" of which 13s. Ad. was
paid. One of these was a permanent erection, being
•• under pinned with stone and mortar." The heads of houses
and University officers were probably seated at this time,
as they certainly were subsequently till the erection of the
Doctors' gallery, in the middle of the last century, in stalls
on cither side of the Chancel. Here too the representatives
of the monastic orders of Cambridge had their place, when
mon adclerum, or any other special occasion drew them
from their own churches.3
The tower, though of no great height (131 feet), nor
boasting of any remarkable beauty or stateliness, was the
work of nearly a century. It was carried on with spiritless,
halting progress j tin- necessary funds being raised with the
utmosl difficulty, in spite of the most persevering endea-
vours en the pari of the University and Town to free them-
selves from tin' disgrace of having begun to build and ii"t
being able to finish. Subscriptions were entered into in the
colleges, collections were made from year to year at the
Commencements, legacies were hunted after, and in some
obtained, and letters couched in terms of the most
humble supplication were despatched to various rich and
noble members of the University : but the sums that were
derived from every source were far from commensurate with
the plans and expectations of the promoters of the work,
and when al length, in 1608, it was declared finished, and
the topmosl stone was laid by Robert Grumbold, the master
workman, it was only by a kind of compromise, as ii was
still destitute of the spire, with which we learn from docu-
i f , ■ ntary evidence it bad been intended to crown the whole.
Bi lore the building of the tower/ the bells were in a tern
porary bell lodge in the churchyard, which, the parish books
inform us, was, in 1505, taken down, the materials sold, and
p ]:. ■ i,. [fi08. "When there in -h It toij pieces ol tymber for the bang,
n if! cl< ram, the whyte ehanons in ing ol the bells, iiij*' vij,L
onthi outh and the monkeys It to the smith in the peticurj For the
in ti j ..n the Dortb syde." Iron woi ke oi the b< 11 c. ij*.
• c. ii. 1505 •■ it to s mason to make It for 400 ol legg forth itepelL"
to I • ■■' i i liJJ*.
THE CHURCH OF ST. MARY THE GREAT, CAMBRIDGE. 253
the bells hung in wheat was by courtesy called "the steeple,"''
though it had not quite reached the elevation of the church,
and was covered with a roof of sedge. The parish books
show that the work was slowly going on from this date, and
was, in 1536, sufficiently advanced for the great west window,
a truly noble specimen of perpendicular architecture, to
be glazed. The entry in the following year, " payd to two
men for half a day werk to bord y° stepill to keep oute byrds
vjfl?.," proves how incomplete the tower still was, in which
state it remained till 1544, when fourpence was paid to one
" Father Rotheram for vewing the steeple." The result of
this survey appears in the entries of the following year, when
stone and slate were brought in considerable quantities from
the now dissolved monasteries,6 and several additional feet of
height were added. The west portal of cinquecento design,
which, though possessing no beauty, and out of keeping with the
architecture around it, has, not unregretted, lately given place
to a beautiful design of Mr. Scott's, was completed Jan. 20,
1576. Lady Burghley and others contributed money to it,
and Sir W. Mildmay, the founder of Emmanuel College,
twenty tons of freestone. It cost 113/. 4s. 2c/.: 7 an enormous
sum considering the altered value of money. The clock
which surmounts it was the gift of Mr. John Hatcher.
It cost him 33/. 6s. Sd., and in 1584 he bequeathed a sum of
40-9. annually to keep it in repair. This same benefactor, in
1576, caused " a newe dore to be made on the south side of
S. Marie's church into the hier chappie."
Dr.Perne, Master of Peter House, the Vicar of Bray of Cam-
bridge, from whose convenient changes of opinion in confor-
mity with those of the governing body in church and state,
the wits of the day coined a new verb, pemares — was at this
time the most active promoter of the completion of St. Mary's
tower. It was under his superintendence that the western
portal was erected, and either by him, or at his instance,
letters were written to Whitgift, then Bishop of Worcester,
5 "1517. For takyn down of the segge " It. of W", Meere for ye stone at ye
and tymbre of the stepyll xvjd. Black Friers xls.
1518. For timber for the stepyll, xiiij fur caryage of 20 lodes of slate
fotte. from the late Austen Fryars iij" iv'1.
1529. To iij laborers for h uieing for 4 pecys of great tymber con-
keepe hearing up stonys to the steple teyning 64 feet, x* viij '.
either of them v dayes workc v8." for two lodes of lyme from the late
1532. For makyn of studdys to hold up White Fryers iv1. ? Baker's MSS. xxiv.
ihe steeple roofcxiijd. s Fuller's Hist. Univ. Camb. p. 258.
VOL. XTI. 1, L
254 Till: CHURCH OF ST. MARY THE GREAT, CAMBRIDGE.
Scambler, Bishop of Peterboro', Bentham, Bisliop of Lichfield,
to Serjeant Bendlows, and others. Betting forth the poverty
of the University, and earnestly petitioning for liberal bene-
factions. These Letters, copied by Cole from the Public
Orator's Book,'-' are curious examples of begging letters two
centuries ago. Writing to the Bishop of Peterborough, he
laments that the tower " nunc humo serpit, atque in obscuro
delitescit, unde nee ipsavideri, neque campanae in ea collocates
pulsari, neduin audiri possint/' and begs that he will con-
tribute to the raising of it at least to a suilicient heiirht for
the ringing of the bells. To Serjeant Bendlows lie speaks of
the wish of the University to raise the steeple above the
roof, which "in summa aerarii nostri paupertate nunquam
aggredi sumus ausi." At his death, Dr. Perne bequeathed 10/.
towards the work, which was then approaching completion.
We have already referred to documentary evidence of a
apa for completing the tower with a spire. The following
is the record alluded to ; it is from the Cottonian Collection
( Faustina, c. iii.) : —
" The square tower of St. Maries to be bulded 24 foote higher: the
Spire or Broclie wil be SO foote hie at the leaste good Btone (free Btoue or
asheler) at Thorney Abbey,1 belonging to Sir William Russell Knight —
water Berveth very well to bring it hither from thence, in winter time whiles
the waters be Lie ; newe Stone, from a j»laee called Kind's Clitic belonging
tn Sir Walter Mildmaye, by water from Gooneworth ferric, 5 miles from
the auarie the parishioners to make a Here for the hells —to new east tin*
Bermon bell — to have a chime to go on those five hells everie fourth hower
and to have tlic greate Bell Ronge to the Sermon."
To this design the following entry in the parish honks
probably refers —
" 1592. It. to a paynter for drawing of a platforme of S. Maries
Steple upon velam parchment for mj Lorde Axchbysshop of
( aunterburie. .\ \ i ij' "
It wi- fated, however, thai there Bhould be no rivalry in
this respect between the two Universities, and thetowerwas
continued on the present plan, which, though not devoid of
dignity, is a striking contrasl to the exquisite grace and
beauty of the steeple of St. Mary's, Oxford.
In L 593, the parish, wearied out with perpetual delays,
.-mil ashamed of the still unfinished condition ot theirchurch,
the matter into their own hands, and "agreed to finish
I.. • i ,,i th&nki i Pari h Bool ,1*94. " I or , Tonne of
to the work are round, I r< . lone which came from Thornej
100. • '" Martindall of Thorm \, for 2(1 Ton.*1
THE CHURCH OF ST. MARY THE GREAT, CAMBRIDGE. 255
the building of the steeple ;" which, in three years, by the
aid of legacies and collections,-2 they were enabled to effect,
so far that the bells, which had been hung in 1595, were, in
15.9G, "all range oute, and never afore." Tabor, who was
Esquire Bedell at this time, relates that —
"The steeple, which was not finished when I came to Cambridge, but was
covered with Thacke, and then Mr. Pooley Apothecary first, and after him
John Warren undertoohe the worke, and had collections in the several
Colledges. I well remember in Bennett Coll., where I was first Pentioner,
as Pentioners we all gave at the first collection 2s. a peece, Fellows 10s. a
peece, and Schollers of the house IScl. a peece, Fellow Commoners 5s. a
peece, or more as their Tutors thought fitting. And so a second collection
when that would not serve : and these two contributions, with money
usually gathered of strangers at Commencements, could not be lesse than
about £800 or £1000."
Twelve years later, 1608, the tower was finally completed,
an event which was unhappily signalised by the death of
John Warren, the superintendent and active promoter of the
work. A melancholy occurrence, commemorated by the fol-
lowing curious epitaph within the church : —
A speaking stone
Reason may chaunce to blame ;
But did it knowe
Those ashes here doe lie
Which brought the Stones
That hid the Steeple's shame,
It would affirm
There were no Reason why,
Stones should not speake
Before theyr Builder die.
For here John Warren
Sleeps among the dead,
Who with the Church
His own Life finished.
Anno Domini 1G08. Dec. 17.
The master workman, at the time of the completion of the
tower, was Robert Grumbold. He was the builder of the
river front of Clare Hall, the parapet of which is decorated
with stone balls, similar to those which, till within the last
few years, surmounted the turrets of St. Mary's. Their
removal was an act of very questionable propriety, for, like
the western portal, though far from beautiful in themselves,
they were interesting as records of the taste of the period,
and as the last link in the long chain of architectural evidence
connecting the fifteenth and seventeenth centuries, afforded
by this building.
[To be continued.')
3 Mrs. Magdalen Purvey, of Lincoln- 1792. 12s. 7A; that expended, 2191. ',
shire, bequeathed 1°3Z. 6&. !!</. The whole We can not learn whether the difference
sum received by Mr. John Tooley was was made up to him.
EXAMPLES OF MEDIAEVAL SEALS. SEALS PRESERVED AT
WISBT IN GOTTLAND.
BY THE REV. FREDERICS BPUBRELL, MA.
DURING a visit to Sweden in 1849, impressions of sonic
seals preserved at Wisby, a seaport town, capital of the island
ofGottland in the Baltic, were obtained by me and brought to
England. At a subsequent time, these seals being con-
Bidered as possessing more than ordinary interest, I procured a
more perfect set of impressions through the kindness of
G. J. R. Gordon, Esq., H.B.M. Secretary of Legation at
Stockholm, and Herre Eneqvist, the Rev. Dean of Endre,
Custos of the Museum formed in the Gymnasium at Wisby.
The seals described in the following notices arc seven in
number, six of large dimensions, and one of much smaller
size. Representations of the entire series are here given of
the same size as the originals.1
No. 1 . The seal of the Germans in Wisby of the guild of St. Canute.
A round seal 2\ inches in diameter, and cut in very deep intaglio. Within
a border is this inscription in Lombardic letters :
S':TffVTHVmaOR':in:WISBI-De> 6VILDA- SOT-XARVTI
Sigillum Teuthonicorum in Wisbi de Gnilda Sancti Kanuti. The Inner
margin of the area of the seal is elegantly cusped, each cusp terminating
in a fleur-de-lys. The device is a st sated figure of a king, 2 inches long,
which undoubtedly represents Saint Canute, although do nimbus appears
around hU head.1 In the right band be holds a sceptre tipped with a
fleur-de-lys, with the left hand he holds an orb surmounted by a cross,
He i- eated on a throne or faldistoriutn, of which the sides or arms
1 [t must be observed that of the large had made predatory incursions into Eng-
i last of the set of impressions landfoi , Canute, a tfSweynel.
i hi by Herre Eneqvisl are numbered 'i Kins oi Denmark, finally subdned the
and 7, whilst No. 5 is omitted) as also in whole country in a.o. 1013. Boon after-
terac ipanying th< seals. I have wards Canute succeeded his father as King
been unable to ascertain whether this is of D larkand England, and in 1028 of
to some ovei ight, or whether ties Norway also, and was esteemed one ol tl>"
to .1 eal ofthisserii ■ braves! snd mosl powerful warriors of
l h'lun ' at lost or now inacci i thai age. In the latter pari <>i lii.s life, be
Imili churches snd monai b riei . and made
iming that Saint Canute was & a pilgr to R ■: for which piety,
: : ■ npj i closely con after his death in 1036, he waa canonii i d
. with England after the Danes by the church of Rome,
EXAMPLES OF MEDIEVAL SEALS. 257
terminate in two lions' heads, as if two demi-lions were conjoined to form
the throne, and each holds in the mouth a sprig of oak leaves. A cloth
embroidered or quilted in lozenges with a centre spot, covers the animal?,
the two fore-paws of each lion forming the support.
The date of this interesting seal may probably be the beginning of the
Xlllth century.
The inscription upon it tells as much as is known of what its use was,
and who possessed it ; all that can be said about the employment of it is
this. — That being the seal of the guild or corporation of German
merchants dwelling at Wisby, it was used in sealing the charters, treaties,
«fcc, which this guild had to make, either as members of that great
mercantile confederacy, the Hanseatic league, in their general commerce,
or perhaps in sharing in the municipal concerns of Wisby.
How the Germans were interested in Wisby will be alluded to presently
in noticing another seal of the series, and the history of their connection with
that town will be sketched briefly.
No. 2. The seal of the brothers of the convivium of Saint Lawrence.
A pointed oval seal, 3| inches long by 2f broad, not cut in such deep relief
as No. 1, and of inferior workmanship. It bears this inscription :
+S':FRATRVM:Da : a oiivivio: sairunrRanan
Sigillum Fratrum de Convivio Sancti Laurencii. Within the border is an
upright full-faced figure representing St. Lawrence. The Saint has a
nimbus round his head, which is clean shaven, except the ordinary tonsure.
He is dressed in the deacon's dalmatic over an alb, and at the neck is the
usual embroidered amice. His right arm holds up the gridiron, emblem
and instrument of his martyrdom ; the left band holds a closed book.
This seal is also of the Xlllth century, though perhaps later than
No. 1.
The inscription appears to confirm the idea suggested by the shape
258 EXAMPLES OF MEIMT.YAL SEALS.
usually employed For ecclesiastical Beals, that this is not a secular seal,
bot was used by the brothers of the Convent of ;5t. Lawrence, it" the term
"/// may he assumed to denote some kind of conventual esta-
blishment.
N'i. 3. The eal of the brother! 1 of Saint Nicholas in Gottland. A
seal -' inches in diameter, cut in bold relief, ami of good, hut careless
workmanship. It bears thi in cription :
"S'. aONFRXTSRNITATIS Sai:'NiaiiOLAY:IN:G0TLflNDIA*
Sigillum confraternitatis Sancti Nicholaj in Gotlandia. Within the horder
i- 1 1 , » - full-faced figure of a Beated bishop. Round the head is an oval
nimbus ; I pointed mitre, ami bis faoe is cleanshaven ; be wears
an alb having an embroidered apparel at tin- feet. Over tin' alb
he wean a chasuble, over it i- laid tin1 orphrey in the shaj f a pall ;
and round bis broad neck i- tli" amioe embroidered «iih trefoils ; tin- righl
hand is held up with the firsl two lingers extended, tin1 usual gesture of
benediction: in tin' lefl In- holda a pa toral stall".
I In' [( .' I tool or bench having no I. ark, ami in the place of
• b< d . i' embling the head of a fawn or kid, facing inwards ;
• '■nis to he a solid erection of m lonry, hollowed at the sides by
!<• cut in : all ili«' blank oi 1 1 eal ia marked by a diaper of
to form lozengi . bul irregularly. Though at first sight ii
t be ( ■ ■ • tb cal eal, from the reprei entation of
EXAMPLES OF MEIXLE7AL SEALS. S:50
a bishop on it, yet, the shape being round, the inference that may be
drawn is that this is a secular seal ; and that the " confraternitas," or
brotherhood, was not a religious body like a conventual establishment of
monks, but a society whose members lived not only in Wisby, but were
scattered, as the inscription shows, " in Gotlandia," that is, throughout the
whole island of Gottland. What this society of St. Nicholas actually was,
there is nothing left to show ; it might be merely a guild of merchants, or
a mixed general institution like the modern free-masons. We can only
conclude that it was a secular body which took the figure of Bishop Nicholas
as the emblem for their seal, and called their society by his name.
The date of this seal is probably of the early part of the XlVth century.
No. 4. The seal of the Germans frequenting Gottland. — A round seal,
2^ inches in diameter. (See cut, next page.) It bears this inscription :
*SIGILr TIl&VTFlONICOl, OTTL2£DIA*rRaQV€XlTailTIVM
SigillumTheuthonicorumGutlandiam frequentantium. The whole of the circle
within is taken up by three stems springing from twisted roots ; the centre
stem bears at the top a fleur-de-lys.3 This seal is unquestionably secular,
its date seems to be the end of the Xlllth century, and it was used, as the
inscription shows, by the Germans frequenting Gottland. Whether these
" frequenters " were a resident corporate guild, or whether they were
travelling merchants, can now only be imagined ; this seems to have been
the official seal of a recognised body, whether of a corporate guild or not,
and it must be concluded that this enriched form of the fleur-de-lys, whether
3 On the Secretum of Stephen de Lis, haps the fleur-de-lys of these Germans
Prior of Lewis, is the figure of a lily, frequenting Gottland was emblematical of
plainly the emblem of his name. Per- tlieir trade, office, or character (!)
200
EXAMPLES OF M F.Dl.KVAL SEALS.
considered as a merchant's mark or not, was as valid an emblem for sealing
as the figure of a saint or king.
No. 5. The seal of the Convivse of St. James of Wisby. A pointed
oval seal 2j inches long by 2 inches wide. It bears the inscription :
+s\- aonvrvjLR'*: sar.EuaoBi d<i visby
Ri prill nm Convivarum Sancti Jacobi de Visby. It will be observed that the
fir t letter of the word de is capriciou ly formed bo as to have the appear-
ance of an K. Within ia the standing figure of St. .lames ; his bead is ou1
EXAMPLES OF MEDLEVAL SEALS. 261
of all proportion, being too large for the rest of the body, while the lower
parts are also far too small, except the feet ; the head appears to be
tonsured, with the hair long and flowing behind the ears, which are thus
placed unduly forward ; the mouth is open, and surrounded by moustache
and beard ; the dress is a gaberdine, or simple frock, and round his broad
neck hangs a cord supporting a bag or palmer's scrip, on which is a large
escallop shell ; with the right hand he holds a staff ornamented with a
knob at the top, and with a ferule and a point at the bottom ; in the
left hand he holds a closed book. The imperfections of this seal,
together with the character of the letters, combine to give rather an
earlier date to it, it may be of the early part of the XHIth century.
Possibly these Convivas were only members of a Guild ; but the pointed-
oval, or ecclesiastical shape of this seal, together with the cross placed at
the beginning of the inscription, and the emblem of the saint, tend some-
what to suggest that the society for whom it was made were Coenobites, or
monastics. By this light, therefore, thrown upon the meaning of the word
" convivarum," these "eonvivse" may have been persons of some
ecclesiastical character, who lived together under a common roof, and were
bound by certain rules and habits. Yet, since from the name they do not
seem to have been either nominally monks or friars, or bound by any strict
rule of fraternity, possibly they were guests who lived together, wan-
dering ecclesiastics. The idea conveyed by the pilgrim's dress of St.
James leads further to the notion that they also had adopted the palmer's
garb : and since few in those days were accustomed to assume that mark of
distinction without having first made the pilgrimage to the Holy Land,
it is not impossible that these Convivae, who lived in times so connected
with the Crusades, were really palmers, who had returned from their wan-
derings, and lived as a corporate body in Wisby.
No. 6.— The seal of the Mayor of the Guild of All Saints in Wisby.
A round seal, 3 inches in diameter, and by no means less interesting than
those previously described, on account of its late and somewhat richer
style of workmanship. It is cut in deep relief, every portion of the surface
being employed, unlike those preceding, in which the spaces between the
border and the figure are blank ; and it conveys the notion of resemblance
to a Flemish brass, in which country indeed it may have been executed.
Within the border is this inscription,
@5I6ID^(n©a7AIORIS:6ILDa:0(DT2IVCn:SATl(ITORVW:ITll(r[SBr
Sigillum majoris gildse omnium sanctorum in Wisby. The principal object is a
sitting figure. A round nimbus marked with the cross commonly given to re-
presentations of Christ, points out at once that this figure is Jesus, and helps
to explain the subject of the seal as representing the Saviour sitting in heaven
receiving the saints with a blessing, and being attended by angels. The
face is oval and thin, compared with the broad full faces of St. Laurence
and St. James. The hair is long, and hangs in curls on the shoulders.
The right hand is held up, with the first two fingers extended in the atti-
tude of blessing; the other is held lower, with all fingers spread out. The
seat is very small. On each side of the Saviour are three kneeling figures
in long robes, with the hands uplifted in the attitude of supplication. There
is no distinction indicating sex, all have bare faces, long hair twisted
round the ear, according to the fashiou of the XlVth century, and in
VOL. XII. il M
EXAMPLES OF MEDIEVAL SEALS.
i and shape, the garment is the Bame for all ; two figures of the six
have a broad hand of embroidery round their dross, and another has the
whole dress spotted with a quatre-foil or flower. Above the Saviour's
hands there is an angel swinging a censer on each side.
Thus this seal is superior in elaborate deeoratioii to the preceding ; the
general characteristics of the workmanship seem to indicate it to he of a
later date, probably made in the first quarter of the XlVth century.
Notwithstanding the holy character of the emblem, the inscription and
circular shape Beem sufficiently to Bhow that this is a .-ocular seal, used by
the Mayor of the Guild, or, as the inscription has 1 > v Borne been explained,
by th( Gr< .''■ r Guild, of All Saints in VVisby.
if the order of
receding, hut its
tally interesting.
No 7. The seal of brother Gerard of Gottland,
preachers. This Beal is verj much smaller than the
1 nd subsequent wanderings have made it i
i pointed oval, 1 | inch long, and j of an inch wide, of somewhat
stiff design and workmanship. Around the edge is this inscription:
+S,PRISGaRARARDIDa:GOTLADIA ORDIS PDIT
Sigtllum fratris Gerarardi de Gotlandia ordinis predicatorum. Within is a
crowned female standing, holding b child, and a tnonli is kneeling, praying
to them. There can be no doubt thai this group represents brother Gerard
and the Virgin Alary with the Infant Saviour. With the right hand she
holds a ball, with the lefi hand she holds the Infant Jesus, while he is
up to her face, and with hi lefl hand behold b cro on her bosom.
(in the \ o "in ' right ha ml kneels brother Gerard, with the ten sun', a I I
and lo . hi hand are uprai ed in the attitude of prayer. Over his
EXAMPLES OF MEDIAEVAL SEALS.
2G3
head is a star of six points, and there is a similar star helow the ground
on which the figures rest.
The date of this seal appears to he the early part of
the XlVth century. Its shape and inscription point out
plainly that it was the personal seal of an ecclesiastic,
and, although he calls himself only " frater," since
it was not the custom for each ordinary monk in a con-
vent to have his own peculiar seal, and indeed for none
hut the head or some official of the hody, this must be
concluded to have been the private seal of brother
Gerard of Gottland, who may have been chief of the
order of Preachers (or Dominican monks) in that
country.
At what time or in whose hands it left Gottland is
not known, but the mode of its restoration a few years ago is too curious
to be omitted. The seal is of silver, the shape not fully described.
In 1825 a Wisby ship-master having taken a ship- load of copper from
Alexandria to sell at Athru, in Candia, he there received in payment,
together with all sorts of coin and curious things, this seal : and after
keeping it for nearly twenty years, he presented it, in 1844, to the museum
in Wisby.
To trace the progress of this seal during 500 years, and from such
remote and disconnected islands as Gottland and Candia, is now of course
impracticable ; but in the words of that kind friend who has so materially
assisted in procuring this and the other seals (H.B.M. Charge d' Affaires at
Stockholm), we may fancy, perhaps, brother Gerard voyaging to Rome
and dying there or on board his ship, or being obliged to part with his
silver signet for want of money. By some accident it may thus have reached
Candia. But, certainly, the coincidence which after such a lapse of time
brought it back to Gottland adds to its interest and value.
The first observation resulting from this minute examina-
tion of these seals is this — there is a curious degree of
similarity in all the large seals, which seems to show they
were made within a certain country, as well as century of
time. Germany seems to be that country, and the Xlllth
century that date. Some one or two differ, and they are
evidently slightly later than the rest ; but, as a series,
they are of a coeval period, and an unique series for the
variety of kindred subjects displayed upon them.
The next observation is the absence of heraldic bearings,
which is a remarkable feature, and more curious because
several of these seals seem indubitably to be of German
manufacture, and amongst the Germans there was a great
regard to heraldic insignia. Perhaps the reason was this,
these guilds were formed of persons who did not possess
the privilege of using arms as individuals, and yet con-
sidering themselves too important to use, as corporate
bodies, the mere merchants' marks, they employed these
•VI EXAMPLES OF MEDLBVAL SEALS.
emblems. From this entire absence of heraldic devices the
inference also may perhaps be drawn, that noble families
had no connection with the societies to which these seals
belonged.
To proceed now with the history of these seals, mention
must first be made of the few facts that are known respect-
ing them. It is satisfactory to know they are all now
preserved amongst the numismatic collections of the Royal
Gymnasium (or Museum) at Wwby, being considered to be-
to the Record-office of the Cathedral Consistory there.
They were all found in Gottland, and collected a few years
ago from different places, having been rescued from different
mean uses, to which, for a long time, they had been exposed.
One was found in a peasant's house, where it had been used
as .-i -lamp for gingerbread cakes ; others, there is reason to
think, had been employed for a like purpose, or for butter
stamps : and while we may smile at this ignoble use of these
seals, we Bhall feel glad that the practical purpose to which
they were applied by the Swedish peasants has been the means
of preserving these interesting seals of comparatively un-
known institutions and people, whilst cupidity too commonly
destroys any metal treasures soon after their discovery.
Tic shape of the seals easily suggested this domestic use of
them by the peasants, for they are raised on the back in the
usual form of mediaeval seals, with a handle for the fingers
to grasp when making an impression. There is no inscription
On the back. l>ut in the handle of each is a hole large enough
to have passed through it a chain or strong cord. The
material of which some of them are made is stated to bo
•• metal," by which the Swedes generally mean brass, and
one or two are described as bronze ; the probability is, they
are made of thai hard mixed metal, of winch the seals
found in England are made, and which was generally used
during the mediae al age.
After stating thai none of these seals have been used
officially for a longtime, "several hundred years," as it is
Baid al Wwby, and having mentioned all thai is known of
their later history, it may uow be well to consider, verj
briefly, w hat has been recorded about them, and bo glean
the circumstances of their early history as far as they can
athered.
Ik in- BSneqvi b, the Curator of the \VM>\ Museum, in his
I' to i -i reference to a Swedish hook. "Gothlandska
EXAMPLES OF MEPLEVAL SEALS. 265
Samlingar " (Gothland Collections) by George Wallin, in
which, at Parti., page 116, and fig. iii., he states, that with
the exception of No. 6, the preceding five (large) seals are
all figured, and that the accompanying text " gives all the
information that any one possesses respecting them." Not
being able to find this book in the British Museum, or any
library within my reach, the foregoing observations have not
been confirmed or gathered from it : yet, inferring from
another sentence in the letter, " We have no historical in-
formation whence these seals have come," that this book
referred to would not enlighten us much, its absence therefore
is not felt.4 " As regards No. 6," Herre Eneqvist continues,
" about which Wallin gives us no information, this seal has
probably belonged to the Guild which was attached to the first
or oldest church here in Wisby, by a person of the name of
Bolair of Akubeck, and which was dedicated to All Saints, as is
mentioned in the short history attached to the edition of Goth-
land's Civil Law by Hadorph,5 and latterly again by Schlyter."6
In another sentence, Herre Eneqvist says, " It is probable
that after the churches (of Wisby) were ruined, and the Guild-
halls also, they all, finally, were united with the only church
preserved, viz. : St. Mary's church, and (the seals, &c.) were
preserved in the archives of its chapter." He also says,
" No. 4 appears, in fact, to have been used in commercial,
perhaps even in diplomatic affairs. All the others, viz. St.
Canute's, for the Germans dwelling in Wisby, St. Lawrence's,
St. Nicholas', St. James', and All Saints' have been in fact the
seals of different Guilds."
It should be mentioned that some who have examined these
4 Mr. A. Ni-sbitt having informed me that it represents the same seal. No. 2
of a book which he thought might throw is a seal as large as those oi my series,
some light upon the history of these seals, the Lombardic inscription is " Sigillum
after writing this paper I turned to it, and Theuthonicor' in Gotlandia manencinm,-'
found it valuable in affording one more and the device a stem of fleur-de-lys with
B .il to the scries, and in confirming the two branches on each Bide but of a dif-
dates I had assigned. At the end of fer< nt character to No. 1 ; this, there.
G. F. Sartorius'" Urkundlichc Gesehichte fore, is the seal of another guild of
des Ursprunges der Deutschen Hanse, "Germans remaining in Gottland ;" the
von J. M. Lappenberg," is a plate with explanation adds that No. 1 is the seal of
two round seals engraved. No. 1 is re- a deed made in November 1280 (confirm-
presented attached to a deed, but the ing my idea of the date), and No. 2 of
impression is very broken, and only two a deed dated ]2H7.
words of the inscription left, " Sigill' Job. Hadorpbius" Collection of Schon-
Teuthonico'," the device, however, plainly ish Laws," Stockholm, l<i7ii.
consists of stems ot fleur-de-lys; and G C. J. Schlyter "Juridiske Afhan-
though this engraving is smaller, the de- lingar." Upsala, L8S6. Neither of these
vice and words being identical with No. 4 Swedish hooks i tains plates, and I have
of my series, there can be little doubt not had opportunity to examine them.
EXAMPLES OF MEDIEVAL SEALS.
seals concur witb Ilerre Erieqvist in the belief tliat none of
them are ecclesiastical But, ha\ bag quoted all the information
sent from Wisby, it is to be hoped presumption will not be
imputed, when it is said a different opinion exists in my
mind as to the character of the seals. This difference is
mentioned, because the other point, the curious union of
churches and guild-halls, also quoted, might not improperly
be [uestioned either as a mistake, or that we must under-
stand the ancient guilds in Wisby were really connected with
the ancient churches, the corporations with certain parishes,
and so the same saint was the emblem of both. It is certain
there were churches in Wisby of the same names as the
saints on these seals, and undoubtedly the sacred characters
us I by these guilds as emblems on their seals seem to coun-
' ce this idea of union, but it may be better to understand
the remark in the latter as referring to the churches exclu-
sively ; viz. that on their destruction in 1 dill, the parishes were
united, and one church was a centred union for them. Indeed,
there can be little doubt that these guilds ofwhich we have the
- for waiving further discussion, fourcertainly are secular
of guilds — were corporate bodies, separate and distinct
from the churches and each other. At the present time it
i- do! known that any guild-halls ever actually existed at
Wisby : but amongst the numerous ruins of churches and
other buildings now extant there, it is impossible to say
whether or not some of them might truly have been the halls
of guilds of which these were the Beals.
Notwithstanding the doubt then of the buildings belong-
ing to these corporations, these secular seals are plainly
valuable proofs of the existence of native and foreign mer-
cantile bodies; they certainly are relics of some of the
ancienl guild- of Wisby, and if the only vestiges of them left,
are the more interesl ing.
The oexl and las! point is, What was the immediate cause
of thie series of 3eaU ! For want of recorded information
cting it, the origin of these seals may be attempted
from inference.
The German element is clearly the chief feature in the
t and without doiiht it only remains to brace the con
ncction of thi e German guild witb the Swedish town of
Wisby, in order to find the immediate cause of the seals ;
and in the kindred Germanic character of the guilds, we
arrive at the probable origin of these Swedi h seals.
EXAMPLES OF MEDIEVAL SEALS. 207
Wisby, where tlicse seals were used, is the only town in
Gottland, an island in the Baltic Sea, a country now chiefly
known as supplying lime to the otherwise destitute granite
soil of Sweden. The ancient marine laws of Wisby arc
generally known, but besides these, except to the sports-
man, the tourist, or the archaeologist, the attractions of
this locality are little known. Yet Wisby is an ancient
town, and had early intercourse with its transmarine
neighbours, so that it is a town of the highest historical and
antiquarian interest. " The feudal walls and towers still
exist almost in as entire a state as they were in the Xlllth
century ; " and ruins and records prove that after the esta-
blishment of the Ilanseatic League, Wisby attained, during
theXIVth and XVth centuries, even a still Greater decree of
wealth and importance than it possessed as a powerful mer-
cantile city in the Xth and Xlth centuries. That Wisby
was not too obscure a place to have so many guilds of
merchants as these seals indicate, is shown by the fact that
throughout Gottland, which is about eighty miles long by
thirty-three at the widest, there are now about 100 churches,
mostly early Xlllth century in date, and still in good preser-
vation. In Wisby alone there are the remains of eighteen
churches, of which some features are so curious that it is
impossible to explain them. There was a St. Lawrence's as
well as St. Nicholas' church ; and therefore our seals might
have belonged to fmilds of these names, and been connected
with the churches in some way. Romish convents and large
houses also are numerous there, and present the proofs that
Wisby had varied and extensive mercantile dealings with
places equally mercantile and civilised. And what places
could these be but the llanse towns 1 It is then to the
influence of the Hanseatic League that the origin of these
seals must be ascribed, and consequently their use and
validity recognised ; for Wisby indeed was no unimportant
city in the confederacy of the Ilanseatic League, and we
can understand both somewhat of WTisby's extensive com-
merce from the character of the seals before us, and the
dignity and value of these seals from their Hanseatic con-
nection. Remembering, therefore, what the Hanseatic
League was, we understand also directly why these seals
of the Teutonics or Germans represent German guilds in
Wisby, and indicate so close a connection between Germany
and Gottland. " The Hanse towns (in Germany first) were
■: 18 EXAMPLES OF MEDUEVAL BEALS,
certain commercial cities associated for the protection
of commerce ; to this confederacy acceded certain commer-
cial cities in Holland. England, France. Spain. Italy, (and
Sweden it only by Wisby) until the number of the Hanse
cities amounted to seventy-two." The German origin of the
league and the proximity of the German coast by the Baltic,
explain to us therefore at once how easy and natural a thing
ii would be that Wisby should have, not only "Germans
frequenting CJottland." a body of sufficient importance as
to haw a corporate seal lor their guild, hut that the Germans
should have a permanent guild in Wisby known by the
name of a national saint St. Canute.
There can be little doubt then that these Wisby seals are
of Hanseatic origin, and of Hanseatic use ; and further, that
the very existence of these seals at the present time has
been influenced by that league ; for the fact of their preser-
vation is owing probably to the subsequent obscurity of the
Hanseatic League after its decline, when the seals were dis-
persed because uncalled for and uncared for.
Doubtle8S there were many more seals of other guilds and
of convents, and in due time modern research may discover
them; as it has been shown, even these before us were un-
known to exist till lately. At the end of the XlVth cen-
tury Wisby was taken by the king of Denmark, and plun-
dered of enormous wealth in merchandise ; it thus received
a fatal blow to its prosperity, and the dispersion of the seals
may have then commenced. But certainly the Hanseatic
League, although for centuries it had commanded the respect
and defied the power of kings, began to decline about the
middle of the XVth century; and if the assumed connection
of these Wisby seala with tic Hanseatic League be their true
history, their dispersion occurred probably at this date.
W'nli the league Wisby fell; and these beautiful seals
from Wisby proofs of the civilisation of mediaeval Gottland
valuable indications of tlie stati' of art amongst the mer-
chant-traders of that time vestiges of that splendid
confederacy, the Hanseatic League, were lost for full 300
and only preserved from being cake-moulds bj the
hand ot the •■' rchaei ilog ist,
(The Central Committee desire to acknowledge the kindm a of the
author in contributing largeh towards the cobI of the woodcul bj which
: tomoir is ill u tratcd.)
(Original IDociinunis.
INVENTORIES OF THE CHURCH GOODS IN THE TOWN OF
SHREWSBURY AT THE TIME OF THE REFORMATION, AND
PROCEEDINGS RESPECTING THEM IN THE REIGN OF
EDWARD VI. a.d. 1552-53.
COMMUNICATED BY JOSEPH HUNTER, ESQ., VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE SOCIETY
OF ANTIQUARIES, AND ASSISTANT KEEPER OF THE PUBLIC RECORDS.
The Inventorie of the goodes, juels, and plate of the parishe cherch of
Saynt Alkemundes of Salop, made the xxiiij.th day of August, anno domini
mccccclij0* et Edwardi VI. sexto, before Sir Addam Mitton, knyght, and the
bailyfes of the towne of Salop.
In primis, oon chalis with a paton parsell gylt. Item, iij. bels of oon
accorde (and oon sawntz bell, erased). Item, a crosse of brasse, and a pix
of copper, a senser of brasse and ij. candelstikes of brasse. Item, iij. cor-
porace cases, and on pere of organs. Item, one cope of clothe of gold.
Item, a cope and a vestment of purpull velwett (and gold together, erased).
Item, on cope of blcwe vehvett (and one coope of tawny velwett, erased).
Item, ij. coopes witly colored of silke and golde. Item, iiij. coopes broken
to make a carpett to the lordes table. Item, one vestment with ij. tunicles
of blue velwett. Item, oon vestment with ij. tunicles of tawny velwett. Item,
oon vestment with ij. tunicles of wite silke. Item, oon vestment with ij,
tunicles reased with velwett. Item, iiij. (viij. erased) vestmentes of sondrie
colors. Item, ij. alter clothes and ij. towls.
Presented by Robert Ilelyn, Richard Jukes, cherchwardens, Edward
Sherer, Humfrey Arosmyght, Robert Hobbys, and Thomas Addrton, and
George Crane, Clarke.
Foriet ORIEN.1 — The Inventory indented of all the goodes, juelles, belles,
and all other ornamentes belongynge to the paryshe of the crosse nere the
towne of Salope, in the countye of Salopc, taken by sir Wyllyam Hordeley,
clerke, vycare there, Humfrey Butler, Thomas Lye, wardens of the said
paryshe churche, Richard Hatton, John Prynce, Thomas Ofeley, Thomas
Fraunce, syxe of the honest men and inhabytantes of the said paryshe, and
i Possibly Foriet oriens, or oriente parte, suburb, now known as the Abbey Fore-
tbe"Est Fored," as this parish is called gate, is tlius described. — " Vicus Bifo*
in the indenture which is given hereafter. rietta vocatur, quod nos lingua Gallica,
The parish church of Holy Cross had pre- antt portatn dicimus." Dugd. Mon. Hi.,
viously been tlie cluircli of the Bene- p. .517. On the ancient seals still pre-
dictine Abbey, situated in the suburb of served in the parish chest, it is termed
Foregate on the east side of Shrewsbury. " Fforyate monacliorum."
In the history of the foundation this
VOL. XII. N n
ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS.
by the sa'ul vycar and vj. honest men, presented and delyvered the xvj.th
daye of August in the Byxte yere of the reigne of ower soverane Lorde king
Edward the Byxte, by the grace of God Kynge of England, France and
Irelande, defendour of the faythe, and of the churche of Englande and also
of Irelande in erthe the supreme hed.
In primis, a (chales, erased) chalyce with a patent parcell gylte, weyng
xij. ownces. Item, a crosse of wood and covered with (sylver, crated) laten
plate and gylte. Item, a pyxe of maslyn J Item, a sensar of maslyn. Item,
a payre of cruetes of pewter. Item, a cope of whyte damaske. Item, a
restyment of grene Batane abrydges," and an albe of the same. Item, a
restyment of blewe Bylke brothered with guide, and a albe. Item, a vesty-
ment of whyte fostyane with a albe. Item, a restyment of red Bylke with a
blewe crosse brothered with gold. Item, a veatyment of whyte fostyane
with a blake crosse of velvett. Item, iij. corporas cases of Bylke with a
halowed clothe for the same. Item, too alter clothes. Item, nun.' paxe
of glasse. hem, iiij. ringinge belles, with a bell whiche the clocke goethe
upon. Item, too sacrynge belles.
Item, a lytic chappelle which they use to bury at, beeyng at the townes
ende, railed Saynt (ivies chappell, with three1 small belles yii hyt.
Thomas Ofeley. — 4< llumfry Butler. — Thomas Alve.
The inventory and presentment of John Skynnerand Hughe Bones, with
air John Greffeys, Curat of Saynt Julyans, and the saved Skynnerand Benes
beyng churchewardens, wyth Rychard Dawes, John Evance, Thomas Lloid,
and John Bolywell, parisl era of the Bayed churche, of all the goodes,
juelles, ornamentes, belles there belongeng to the Bayed parishe churche
irdyng as the charge to them ■u'wu by the kyngea oomysyoners
assyngened [sic) for the tyme; anno regni regis Edwardi sexti sexto,
\ icessimo quarto Augusti.
In primis, one cope of (gold, erased) clothe of gold. Item, one chalyce
Belver gelte, weyng x. ownces. Item, iij. belles agreyng in one accorde.
[tern, one \ yeleti coppe of Bilke. Item, too chaunter coppea of taune Belke.
Item, a coppe of redde Belke with lyenea of golde. Item, a green coppe of
Belke. Item, a coppe of blowe and redde Belke. Item, a restmenl of
ryeletf Belke. Item, a vestment of redde Belke with lyones of golde. Item,
a restment of redd velvett. [tern, a vestment of ray Belke. Item, a vest-
ment of selke blowe and redde. Item, a vestment of grene sylke. Item, one
p. are of organes. Item, iij. auturclothes. Item. iiij. auturclothea pented,
Item, one towelle. Item, a crosse copur and gelte. Item, a pyxe copur
and g( Ite. Item, iij. CO! pOl J
John Qryfythys, curat. Thomas Lloyd.
This presentment made rxiiij. day of Anguste, in the syxt yer of
Bdwarde the syxt, b\ Sur Job .... clarke, cura . . . . <>t
Mi l \ ii wai ■ kind of mixed yellow crosses <>f mastlyn, brass, latin, base
met i iuon of metal, and of copper. Nichols1 Hist,
which it is not easj to define. Aug. Sax. Leic., rol. iii. See Gloss, to Robert
in' in these in filmic r, Mastiyng. la I 100 an eccle
rentorii it appears to be diatingui hed siastic In Yorkshire bequeatha "pelvim
■ the yellow metal termed latten, as cum lavacro de nu yng." Test Bbor.
also in ••■■■ .1 lists of church goods ttin manufactured at Br
in rm ntion occui i i>i
ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS. 271
Saynt Maris within the towne of Salopc, Wyllyam Wyttycares, William
Yevans, Thomas Longley .... of the Bayde churche, of all suche
godes, juelles, ornamentes, and belles to the sayde churche accordyng to
the .... geven by the kynges eommysioncrs asined for the Fame,
sir Adam Mitton, Kynght (sic), Roger Luter, Ry chart Wytticars, baylcs of
the towne of Salop.
In primis, one coope of clothe of gold. Item, a chalis parcell gylt with a
paten, weyng xij. ounces. Item, another chalis parcell gilt with a paten, in
the handes of sir Edward Byscou. Item, a crose of coper and gylt. Item,
a boxe covered with red velvet, with a lytic cupe in hit. Item, ij. brasen
candl stikes. Item, a sute of vestmentes (with a cope, erased) of blu velvet
brodrid with grapes of golde. Item, a sute of vesmentes (sic) of blu
(velvet saten, erased) sarenet. Item, a sute of vesmentes of blake wosted.
Item, a sute of vesmentes (sic) of whit bustion for lente. Item, viij. (sutes
of, erased) coopcs and vestmentes of divars sortes. Item, ij. pere of vest-
mentes, with albes and all therto belongynge. Item, an alter clothe befor
the alther frynged with sylke and crule. Item, a stoned clothe for the
sepulker. Item, a paulc quilted with sylke. Item, sixe corporus cacis of
divers colors. Item, ij. alter clothes and ij. toweles. Item, a rynge of
belles of v. with that that the cloke strykes on. Item, a litle saunce bell.
John Butlerre. — Wjllyam Wytakar. — Wyllyam
Yevan. — Thomas Langley. — Rye' Rider.
The presentment of Edward Stevyns, clerke, curat of the parishe
chu[rche of Saynt Chads in]4 the towne of Salop, Thomas Hosyar,
Rychard Clerke, Roger Allen and Morgan .... wardens of the sayd
churche, with Ilumfrey Onysloo, Thomas Sturrey, Nycolas [Purcell] and
Edward Hosyar, Esquiers, paryshenors of the sayd paryshe, of all suche
goodes [juelles] ornamentes and bells belongyn to the sayd churche,
accordynge to the char[ge to them] gevyn by the Kynges commissioners
assyned for the same, the xvj.th day of . . . . in the syxt yere of the
rayne of owr sufl'eryn lorde kynge Edward the Byxt, before sir Adam
Mytton, Knyght, Roger Luter, and By chard Whytacres, bayles of the
town of Salop for that yere.
Item, one cope of clothe of golde. (Item, one sute of vestmenttes
with one cope of red reysyd velvett, erased.) Item, one sute of vest-
mentes of red velvet and one cope. Item, one sute of vestmentes of blue
velvet and one cope. Item, a sute of vestmentes of blue velvett with cros-
leettes, and ij. chauntre copes. Item, one sute of vestmentes of grenc
sylcke. Item, a sute of vestmentes of sylcke, for sondayes. Item ij. states
of vestmentes of whyte af lick (sic) gold. Item, a sute of blacke vest-
mentes. Item, a whyte vestment for lent. Item, a sute of grene vest-
mentes, lackyng the subdeacons. Item, a syngle vestment of black
worstyd. Item, a vestment of violett worstyd. Item, ij. violett copes
callyd chauntre copes. Item, ij. grene copes and a red cope. Item, ij.
grene copes, the one callyd the Monday cope. Item, iiij. whyte copes and
a cope of dornex.5 Item, a nother grenc cope. Item, ij. cusshynges of
4 Several defects here occur in the MS. Yj>re, — of Dornyk (rendered in French
which may probably be supplied as above. Twirnay) of ryselle (Lylle). See .Mr.
■' A tissue manufactured al Tournay, .J. <;. Nichols1 Glossary to the Unton
formerly called Dornyck. Caxton,in tin' Inventories, v. Domex.
Book for Travellers, mentions Cloth of
•ZrZ ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS.
red velvett and grene on the one Byde, and the other Byde red damascke.
Item, ij. pillowes of clothe of golde. Item, iij. pyllowes of the passion
and one olde pyllowe. (Item, a front of green velvet for the hygh awter.
Item, another frount party red velvett and black, erased.] Item, a sute
of vestmentes called the nones vestmenteB, and a cope. Item, a cope of
okle red velvett. Item, iiij. brasen candelstyckes. Item, ij. paxes of
latb n of Antvek worck. Item, a - nsor of latten. Item, ij. corporas
Item, iij. towells of Bylcke for Corpus Christi day. Item, a towell
of ray Bylck. Item, a towell of nydle worcke. Item, viij. diaper towells.
Item, v. flaxen auetour clothes. Item, x. towells. Item, iiij. halltl' reyvyd "
diaper towells. Item one chalys, weyng xxxiij. onces and iij. quarters.
Item, another chalys, weyng xiij. onces and iij. quarters. (Item, a boa of
Bylver with a cheyne, iij. onces and di, erased.) Item, iij. gret bells.
Item, ij. small bells eallyd tbe sauntes bells. Item, one gret bell that tbe
clocke goethe apon.
Per me, Eumfrey Onyslow. — Per me, Nicolaum Purcell. — Per me,
Edwardum Hosyer. — Thomas Yrland. — Richard Germyn. — John Muke-
worth. — Edward Stevyns, clerke. — Thomas Hosyer.- Rychard Evared.7
Indentures for the sale keeping of the church goods which the king's
commissioners allowed to remain in use, in May, 7 Edward VI. 1553.
Thys indenture made the xxiij. day of May, anno regni Regis Edwardi
Bexti vij.", betwene sir Adam Mytton, Knyght, John Corbett of Lye,
Bsquier, and Roger Lewes, commissyoners by vertue off the rlynges
majestes letters off commyssyon to them amongst other directed, of the
rtie, and sir John Gryfres,, Clerke, ('mat oil' saynl July an es in the
of Saloppe, John Skynner, Hugh Dene-, wardens of the Bame
churche, Rychard Dawes, gent, John Evanes, gent, John Halywell, -cut,
parisheners of the Baid churche, of thother partie, wytnessyth that there be
remayneng within the same church on chalice with a patten weyng twelve
owences, and thre bellys in one corde, whicbe chales with the patten and
belles the Bayed commyssyoners mi tin- Kynges majestes behalfe straytly
chargeth ami commandyth them Bavely ami surely to kepe unsold ne other-
wise imbessyllyd, untyll Buche tyme as the Kynges majesties plesure be
unto them further Bignifyed and declared.
By me, John Gryfyths, cl. Per me Rychard Dawys. Hugh Beynes.
There follow in like form another Indenture ami three - Bills indentid."
The indenture, dated 1' 1 May, in the ame year, was made between the
ame commi sioners and George Crane, Vicar of St. A-lkemund's, Salop,
Robert Helyn and Richard Jukes, churchwardens, as to tin- custody of one
parcel 'jilt with a paten, weighing ten ounces, and three bells.
The first bill indented, dated L'.'i May, 7 Bdw. VI., was made between the
tame commissioners and •• Sir John Buttrye, clerk, vicar assistent of Saint
Maryes in Salope," Edward Clerke and Richard Ryder, wardens, Thomas
Longley ami William Bvauns, parisbionoi . as t" the custody of one
chalice with a paten weighing 12 ounces, live hill- and a saunoo bell,
econd bill, dated 24 May, 7 Edw. VI., was made between the same
,|.|.1j. .| to i ■ \ mark bare occui , probablj the
mutual. 'I'Im Prompt. Parv. symbol "i "ne of the pariahioners who
■ rendyn, lacero. Ely f us could aol write his name.
ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS. 273
commissioners and " Sir Wylliam Hordley, clerkc, vycar of the est Fored,
llumfrey Butler and Thomas Lee, wardens of the Est Forhed, Wyllyam
Powner, Thomas France' jiarischoners," as to the custody of one chalice
with paten weighing 12 ounces, four hells and a clock hell in the said
parish, and three little hells " in the (parishe, erased) huriall of seynte
Gyllys, beynge a beryall." The third bill, dated 23 May, 7 Edw. VI.,
was made between the same commissioners and "Sir Robert Scherer
clerke, vicar of Meolle brace, RycardMedulycot, Rychard Scherer, wardens
of the parish churche of Meolle, Arthur Macwort, John Scherer,
pariscboners," as to the custody of one chalice with paten weighing five
ounces, and three small hells. Meol-Brace, now called Bracemeol, is a
vicarage in the liberty of the horough of Shrewsbury, and situate about a
mile south of the town.
The following notes have also been preserved, comprising information of
Church goods, supposed to be detained by private persons, in 1571 :
Villa Salop.
Certayne pipes of leade under the earthe, conveying water to the Abbey
of St. Peter and Paule by Shrowsburye, as well within the Scite of the seid
Abbey as withoute, moche within taken up by one William Langeley, by
coloure of the purchase of the seid Abbey. Allso a cesterne of leade
without the wall, taken up by the seid Langeley.8
Thomas Burnell, Bailiff of Shrowesburye, bathe xlviij. peces of Coapes
and vestimentes perteyniug to St. Chaddes.
In thandes (sic) of William Clerke, of Little Berwicke, a Challice, one
coape, one little bell.
Thomas Stirry, hcire of Thomas Stirrye, late of Roshall, gent.,
deceasyd, standyth chargeable with a Challice belonging to the Country
Paryshe 9 in St. Chaddes in Shrowsburye, delyveryd to his said father by
Edward Betton, gent., and Richard Lancashere.
Thomas Bromall holdeth a Tythe concealed, of vij. s., the yere,
sometyme belonging to the paryshe of St. Alkomondes in Salop.
Richard Lee, esquier, rcceyved xxj. peces of Coapes and vestimentes of
Richarde Thornes, by vertue of a comission.
Richard Thornes bathe one Challice with a cover of silver parcell gilte,
wayeng xiij. oz., also vij. peces of coapes and vestimentes belonging to St.
Maryes. Also he concealeth Obligacions of one c.li., made of the Jewells
of St. Maryes churche, and delyveryd by Obligacion to divers men of the
Paryshe in severall sommes.
William Alowe and Richarde Powell detayne obligacions of cxl. li.,
made of the Ornamentes and Jewells of the Churche of St. Chaddes, and
delyveryd by severall Obligacions to divers men of the paryshe.
Robert Irelond the elder and Roger Luter detayne the Inventorye of
the churche goodes of St. Chaddes.
s The scite of the abbey had been 9 This was probably Bicton, distant
granted by Henry VIII. on July 22, 1546, about three miles on the road tu Oswestry,
to Edward Watson, Esq., of Northampton- Edward VI. gave the tithes of Bictoo,
shire, and Henry Herdson, a tanner of b'rankwell, and other places, lately be-
London. On the following day they longing to the collegiate church of St.
granted it to William Langley, of Salop, Chad's, towards the endowing of the Frei
tailor, and it continued in his family till School, Shrewsbury. At the present time
1702. Browne Willis says that they never the perpetual curacies of Bicton and of
prospered after they had dug up tin- in- Frankwell are in the patronage of the
ternn uts in the church. vicar of St. Chad's.
•*7 1 olMCIXAl, DoCTMENTS.
I ►( a mber, L571.
Mr. Fanshewe. — I praye you rocoavc these notes above wrytten, and
that iki limn putt in information for them, because I have them in sute,
and that I maye Lave processe for them at suche tyme as 1 shall call for
them.
II i:m;Y MlDDELMORE.
The foregoing documents arc preserved amongst the records, late part of
the Miscellanea of the Queen's Remembrancer, now in the custody of the
Master of the Rolls, and in the charge of Mr. Hunter at Carlton Ride. It
it due tn Mr. Hunter that they have been brought into accessible form, and
are available for historical inquiry. We are indebted to his kindness for
calling our attention to the series of records connected with the Survey of
Church (lends. They show the condition of parish churches shortly after
the Reformation, whilst a considerable part of their ancient wealth in plate
and vestments remained unalienated. The portion which Mr. Hunter has
enabled us to lay before our leaders, will amply show the character of these
documents and the valuable evidence which they supply, as here exemplified
by the return- relating to that chief of English towns, in which the Institute
has recently found so cordial a welcome.
On April 2, 1552 (6 Edw. VI.), the king fell sick, as recorded in Ids
Journal. <*n April 21, the following entry occurs. " It was agreed that
Commissions should go out for to take certificate of the superfluous Church
Plate to Mine iim\ and to see bow- it hath been einbc/.eled."
In May, 1552, the issue of Commissions to persons of note in each
countv, city, or town, appears to have been in progress. Their names are
recorded on the Patent Roll, 6 Edw. VI. ; the list is given in the Seventh
Report of the Deputy Keeper of the Public Records, appendix ii.. p. 308,
with copies of two commissions found on the Patent Rolls, and an extract
from one of the originals remaining in the Exchequer, dated May 16,
6 Edw. VI. These instruments show the objects and powers of the com-
missioners. A catalogue, topographically arranged, of the inventories has
been subjoined by Mr. Hunter, who has given a supplement to this catalogue
in the Ninth Report of the Deputy Keeper, appendix ii., p. 283, with
copies of the commission for the city of Lond dated May I 6, (i Edw. V I . ;
traction to the commissioners, dated June 1", same year, and their
l'lilb r (Church Hist., b. vii.i bad printed one of die commissions,
from which an extract will be found in Collier; (Peel. Biflt part II.. b. i\.,
..) The Commissi in for Shrewsbury were Sir Robert Townsend,
Sir Adam Mytton, John Corbett of Lee, the Bailiffs, and Richard I lord.
The Commissioners proceeded in their survey during the remainder of the
\. ar. After an interval oi eight months, a fresh oommia ton (dated Jan. 16,
<; Edw, VI., [552 '■'•> issued to the comptroller of the household and other
ive the returns, to ensure that they were dulj 1 at
from all parts of the kingdom ; also with power to appoint deputies to
carry away things deemed unnecei srj for orderly performance of the
public • (|i linen and vestments, distribution was in some oa • to
be made to the poor, after r» er plici and altar coverings suitable
to each church ; part was directed to b< sold, 1 emed super-
; the proceed of uch ales were to be delivered to the king's trea urer,
the i to the ki 1 | f the jewel bouse in the Tower.
contracted in the orij inal record are here printed in exit
^roccetiings at tfje /Meetings of tlje Archaeological Institute.
Mat 4, 1855.
The Hon. Richard C. Neville, F.S.A., Vice-President, in the Chair.
The Rev. Charles Graves, D.D., Fellow of Trinity College, Dublin,
delivered a discourse on the sculptured grave-slab, inscribed with Oghams
on both its edges, found in a cemetery in the island of Bressay, Shetland,
and exhibited by Dr. Charlton in the Museum of the Institute, at the meet-
ing in Newcastle-on-Tyne.
Representations of this remarkable slab have been given in the Archreo-
logia JEliana, vol. iv. p. 150. l The interpretation of the Oghams given by
Dr. Graves shows that the slab is commemorative of the daughter of
Nahdfdad, whom he supposes to have been the discoverer of Iceland, about
the middle of the ninth century, and bears the name of his grandson, desig-
nated as Benre, or the son of the Druid. This interesting memoir will be
given hereafter.
Sir James Ramsay, Bart., gave a notice of the remarkable discovery, in
1854, of some large beads of blue porcelain, at a considerable depth, in a bog
in the forest of Alwyth.in Perthshire, on the estates of Sir James, who brought
the beads for examination. They are seventeen in number, melon-shaped,
and are coated with the peculiar bright blue glaze commonly seen on beads
and other ancient objects amongst Egyptian antiquities. There were also
two highly polished black beads, found in the same place and bearing much
resemblance to similar reliques found in Egypt. Roman vestiges exist, as
Sir James observed, in the part of Perthshire where this discovery took
place ; and the supposition appears probable that the beads may actually
be of Egyptian manufacture, brought to Scotland by some of the Roman
legionaries.
Mr. Octavics Morgan gave a short account of the discovery of a
remarkable mosaic pavement at Caerwent (Venta Silurum), in Monmouth-
shire, in 1777. He produced a coloured representation of this tesselated
floor, accurately taken at the time when it was found, and preserved at Tre-
degar. The discovery occurred in planting an orchard within the walls of
the Roman station, and the pavement lay about 2 feet below the surface.
Mr. Lewis, to whom the site belonged, erected a building over it to ensure
its preservation; but the pavement is now wholly destroyed, the roof having
unfortunately become decayed about forty year- since and fallen in. The
floor measured about 21 feet by 18 feet. The design consisted of circular
compartments, about 3 feet in diameter, surrounded by a border of elegant
decoration. No representation of this pavement appears to have been pub-
lished, and Mr. Morgan considered it to be deserving of notice, as displaying
1 See a notice of this slab iu" Notes and Queries," vol. xi., p. 285.
B76 PROCEEDINGS AT MEETINGS OF
certain elements of ornamental design which might he of Celtic character,
and arc dissimilar to the ordinary Roman types. A short notice of the dis-
covery was communicated by Mr. 11. Penruddock Wyndham to the Society
of Antiquaries, and published in the Archaeologia, vol. vii. p. 410. The
position of the pavement is indicated in Morrice b Survey of the
station, given in Coxe's Monmouthshire, vol. i. p, 25, where it is described
a- hastening fast to decay. Mr. Morgan observed, that he proposed, in the
of the present year, to commence excavations at Caerwent and to
examine the -tincture of which the remains had formed part.
Mr. II. Barrod communicated the following particulars regarding a
remarkable deposit of reliques of bronze found about a month previously at
Ball, near rlalesworth, Suffolk. Numerous Roman remains have
been found near the sp.it, where broken pottery of Roman fabrication occurs
in abundance. The objects brought by Mr. Ilarrod for the inspection of
the Society comprised a number of bronze rings, closely resembling in fashion
and workmanship those found on Polden Hill, Somerset, and the large col-
lection brought to light at Stanwick, Yorkshire, presented to the British
Museum by the Duke of Northumberland. They are elaborately ornamented
with stippled or punctured designs, and enriched with small portions of
opaque enamel in cavities chased on the surface. They had been deposited
in a singular box or vessel of bronze, which was much decayed. Mr. Barrod
exhibited part of a thin bronze plate, about 6 inches in diameter, wrought
with a cruciform ornament, and an animal (a lamb ?) in the centre of the
Be produced also a Roman lamp of bronze with a crescent on its
handle, ami a defaced coin, found close to the deposit almve described. Mr.
Akerman had supposed it to be a coin of Antonine ; Mr. Neville, however,
thought it might 1 t' Faustina, and he observed that a bronze lamp, orna-
mented in like manner with a crescent, and found at Thornborough, Bucks,
is now in his museum at Audley End. The bronze rings appear Buited for
furniture or harness ; the largest measure about 3 by _' inches. They
w.re found in draining at a depth of ahout 2 feet. They have subsequently
been purchased for the British Museum.
A memoir, by Mr. W. S. Walford, was read, in explanation of a docu
ment lately found amongst the Tower Records, being a petition to Edward 1 1.
by Walter the Marberer of London. (Printed in this volume, p. 1 .">< .)
Mr. Nelson, secretary of the Institute of British Architects, communi-
a ie. lire of a singular discovery at St. Peter's Mancroft Church,
Norwich, where, during restorations carried out in L852, the remains of
p • had been found under the chancel Boor, having earthen jars
imbedded in the side walls. Thesi I ware with a Blight glaze
on the upper part, were laid horizontally ahout I feet apart, their mouths
being Bush with the face of the wall ; they measure >s inches in height,
diameter of the mouth ahout 6 inches. A detailed account had I n suli-
mitted to the Institute of British Architects h\ Mr. S. W*. Tracy, under
direction the restorations had been executed : and hia drawings illus-
trative of this remarkable construction, the intention of which had not been
i plai I, were brought bj Mr. Nelson, with one of the earthen
for the inspection of the meeting. Mr. Nelson Btated that a similar
imbedded in masonry had occurred at Fountains \bboy,
the I'-Vel of the floor, in Q part of 1 1 1 e c 1 1 II lc 1 1 u 1 1 ere a sc lee 1 1 a I ipi II 1 1 . )| I
: icted at the ea I end of the nave. One of these vo • il
bad ■ • i d in l>\ the Earl de Grey for examination, and an
TIIE ARCHAEOLOGICAL INSTITUTE. 277
account of the circumstances connected with the discovery has appeared in
the Transactions of the Institute of British Architects. Vestiges of a
similar passage under the chancel-floor, in the side-walls of which several
one-handled jars, or pitchers, were found imbedded, had heen noticed during
the repairs of St. Nicholas' church, Ipswich ; and a passage of like con-
struction, hut without any such vessels in its walls, had occurred in the
chancel at St. Peter's church, Sudbury.
Mr. Evelyn P. Shirley, M.P., gave the following account of the crozier
of the abbots of Fore, co. Westmeath, in the possession of Richard Nugent,
Esq., son of Christopher Edmund Nugent, Esq., late of Farren-Connell, in the
county of Cavan. The crozier, of the peculiar Irish form, was, through
Mr. Nugent's kindness, exhibited by Mr. Shirley on this occasion.
" The Abbey of Fore. Four, or Fourre, in Latin Favoria, in Irish,
Fohhar, was founded for Regular Canons of St. Augustine about the begin-
ning of the 7th century, by St. Fechin, who died a.d. 665, on the 20th of
January, on which day his festival has been always observed. This
monastery became famous as a seat of learning and religion for many ages,
and, according to Usher, was called ' Baile-na-lcabhar,' or the ' Town of
Books,' or of learning, from the great seminary established there. Ulti-
mately it became a bishop's see ; in the twelfth century it was united to the
diocese of Meath. In 1209, Walter de Lacy, Lord of Meath, refounded
the Abbey of Fore for Benedictine monks, brought over by him from the
abbey of St. Taurin, at Evreux in Normandy, and made it a cell to that,
since which time this house has been called the Priory of St. Fechin and
St. Taurin. William Nugent, the last prior of Fore, gave this crozier to
his kinsman Oliver Nugent, of Enagh, third son of Christopher Nugent,
Baron of Delvin, to whom the abbey of Fore was granted by Queen Eliza-
beth, in 1588. From this William it has descended in a direct line to
Richard Nugent, Esq., the present possessor."
Sttttqutttc* airtr £CIorfc£ of <3rt evhtbttrtr.
By Mr. Brackstoxe. — A remarkable axe-head of stone, found in Stainton
Dale, near Scarborough, Yorkshire, in Januaiy last, by a farm servant who
was employed in cutting a drain. It was sold by the finder to Mr. Long-
bottom, a lapidary at Scarborough. The material of which it is formed
appears to be a porphyritic greenstone, with white specks, probably of
quartz, and bearing resemblance to some rocks occurring in North Wales.
This stone axe measures 7| in. in length. It is perforated to receive a
haft, and partakes of the characteristics both of hammer and axe, one end
beiug obtusely pointed, the other is shaped to a sharp edge, cut very round,
and measures 5 in. in breadth. Perforated stone axe-heads are rarely
found in this country, and none appear to have been noticed of precisely
the same type as that exhibited by Mr. Brackstone. Several examples of
these ancient weapons are given by Sir Richard Colt Hoare. discovered in
tumuli in Wilts. A remarkable specimen, found in South Wales, and now
in the possession of Mr. G. Grant Francis, has been figured in this Journal,
vol. iii., 11.67.-' The example, bearing most resemblance to that exhibited.
is figured, Ulster Journal of Archeology, vol. iii. p. -
2 Other examples of the perforated (t Antiquities of Worcestershire/' 2nd edit
stone axe-head are figured in Mr. Allies1 pi. 1, p. 150 : two found in the north of
VOL. XII. ') 0
:7s PROCEEDINGS AT MEETINGS OF
By Mr. IIf.n'RT Latham. — A flint celt : a saucer, or patera, of dark
ware, and a bottle of black ware, both apparently of Roman fabrication,
found in digging eravelat Wiggonholt. Sussex, near the bank of the river
Arun.
By -Mr. R. Gr. F. Minty. — A bronze cedt, remarkable for its preservation
and the ornamentation, of rare occurrence on objects of this class found in
England, although comparatively common in Ireland. It was found at
Liss, near Petersticld, Hants. In general form and dimensions it closely
resembles that figured in Mr. Dunoyer's memoir on Celts, in this Journal,
vol. iv., p. 328, pi. 1, fig. 31 ; but the ornament covering part of each face
is less elaborate in the celt from Liss, and consists of small parallel lines,
not engraved by a cutting tool, but apparently produced by a blunt chisel
and the aid of a hammer. The sides are grooved diagonally, and slightly
overlap the blade. There is no trace of any stop-ridge. Length G in. ;
breadth of the cutting edge, nearly o\ in.
Mr. Minty presented to the Institute a perfect specimen of the flanged
tiles found at Froxfield, Hants, as described at the previous meeting (see
p. 199, ante). They are of the kind properly used for roofing, but were
found placed as the floor of a small Roman building, supposed to have been
a bath ; and they measured about 17 in. by 131 at one end, and 11| at
the other. A small part of the flange is cut away at both ends, to facili-
tate the overlapping of the tiles, and near the upper margin of one of them
is a perforation, for the purpose of pinning the tiles to the rafters.
By Mr. \Yi:st\vood. — Representations of a sculptured fragment, in the
possession of Mr. Staniforth, of Sheffield, which appears to have formed the
shaft of a cross of the Xlth or Xllth century. It had been used as a
" hardening trough" at a blacksmith's shop, one side having been chiselled
out so as to convey the notion that it might have served as a stone coffin.
This, however, Mr. Westwood is decidedly of opinion had not been the
original intention; the part now standing above the surface of the ground
(the lower end being deeply imbedded in the earth) measures 51 in. in
height ; one side is 21 in. in width at the base, and 1 .V at top ; the other
two sides being 11 in. wide. The widest face is sculptured with a foliated
scroll ornament, like that on the cross at Eyam ; there is a figure of an
archer kneeling introduced in the de ign. The narrower side-- also have
foliated scrolls, but our presents an example of an interlaced riband pattern
precisely like that on the narrow side of the cross at Eyam.3 The sculp-
tured fragment at Sheffield has been noticed in Rhodes' Teak Scenery.
Mr. Westwood brought also, in illustration of the [rish crozicr exhibited by
Mr. Shirley, representations of the bighlj ornamented reliques of the same
d< cription, in the po i ion of the Duke ol Devonshire, supposed to have
been used by the first bishop of Lismore, and exhibited by his grace's Kind
permi -ion at the meeting of the In titute in March, L850. (Journal,
vol. vii., p. 83.) Al-o, drawings of a pa toral staff belonging to Cardinal
i i in Bishop Lyttelton'a liahed in 1882, al Copenhagen, by the
tone hatchets, Archseo Society of Antiquariea <>i' the North ;
i ii., |i. 118, pi. 8 ; and various Bind I., plates .' i ; or In vVoi aoe'i
I i . cotland are figured by " Afbildinger," from thi Royal Museum
Dr. Wilson, in hi wPi Innals/' at Copenhagen, pp. 11, 12.
pp. 135, 187. Thi type fonnd inSlainton Se< o repn entation of the orosa at
D among I the an- Eyam in Mr, Bateman's " Antiquities of
n intiq di Di rbj aire," p. 209,
I HI thi " . I : | I ill." | >lll •
TUB ARCHAEOLOGICAL INSTITUTE.
:l'i 9
Wiseman, purchased in London ; of that of the ahhots of Clonmacnoise, in
the Museum of the Irish Academy ; of another in the same collection ; and
of the head of an Irish crozier, now in the British Museum. Mr. West-
wood remarked, thai from the manner in which one of the hosses of the
staff belonging to Cardinal Wiseman was worn smooth, it is evident that
these pastoral insignia in Ireland were not carried in the same manner as
the bishop's crozier was usually borne. The Irish cambuca was held lower
down, the upper part resting on the shoulder.
By Mr. Wat. — Representations of three fibulce, of Roman workmanship,
in the possession of the Rev. R. Gordon,
of Elsfield. One of them, found at Pains-
wick, Gloucestershire, is remarkable
for the form and decoration in coloured
enamels, fixed by fusion in shallow
cavities on the surface, in similar manner
as the mediaeval champlcvc enamels are
executed. (See woodcuts, orig. size.)
Examples of this description are com-
paratively rare in this country. An
enamelled fibula, in the form of a cock,
enriched with red and green colour, was
found in a Roman villa on Lancing Down,
Sussex. (Figured in Gent. Mag., vol.
C. ii., p. 17.) Another, in the form
of a horse, with its rider, was found at
Kirkby Thore, Westmorland, and is now
in the Museum of Practical Geology in Jennyn-strect. It is figured in the
Bronze fibulx, in the possession of the Hcv. R. Gordon. Original size.
Archseologia, vol. xxxi., p. 2S4. The two other brooches in Mr. Gordon's
collection are of bronze, of elegant form, and in unusual preservation. They
were found at Druushill, near Elsrield, Oxfordshire.
2S0 PROCEEDINGS AT MEETINGS OF
By the Rev. Walteb Sneyd. — A remarkable piece of open work, in horn,
supposed to have- been used to decorate the binding of a hook. Date,
XI lth century. It had heen obtained at Cologne, and is unique, possibly,
as an example of highly enriched work in horn, at that early period. The
ornament consists of foliage and flowers combined with a pattern occurring
in borders of illuminations in MSS. of the Xlth and XI lth centuries.
By .Mr. Alexander Nesbitt. — A rubbing from an incised slab, which is
fixed against the wall in the south transept of the Cathedral of Carcassonne,
in the south of France. It is without inscription, but is believed to be a
rial of Simon de Montfort, the famous leader in the crusade against
the Albigenses ; the armorial bearings on the surcoat, and the costume,
appear fully to warrant its being ascribed to that remarkable person. He
was killed on the 25th June, 1218, by a stone from a mangonel, while
ing Toulouse, and his funeral obsequies were performed with much
pomp at Carcassonne, but bis body was transported to the priory of Hautcs
Bruyeres, near his ancestral castle of Montfort, and there interred. A
Bculptured tomb bearing his effigy was, it appears, placed over bis remains
in the burial-place of his family, where were to be seen the tombs of the
famous Bertrade, and of Amaury, Simon's son and successor. These were
destroyed, probably, in 1793, and no traces can now be found. The
tradition regarding the slab at Carcassonne appears to be confirmed by
the bearings upon the surcoat which will he seen to be alternately lions,
ami crosses of the form called by heralds " crosses of Toulouse." The
order of arrangement is now somewhat irregular, in part owing to the parts
of the slab having heen defaced by the tread of feet, when (as no douht it
once did) it formed a part of the pavement. The lion is the coat of the De
Mont forts, usually given as "Gules, a lion rampant with a forked tail;
argent, the crosses of the county of Toulouse," which had been granted to
him by the pope, the Council of Lateran, and the King of France.
By the Rev. E. Trollops. — A rubbing from an inscription on a coffin-
Blab, lately f\wj; up in the churchyard at Doddington, near Faversham,
Kent. The dimensions of the Blab, which i.- of Kentish rag, are — length,
<i ft. (i in. ; width, at the head, 33 in., at the loot, 21 in. This rhyming
quatrain forms six lino on the upper part of the slab, as follows : —
>J< ici : 0181 : KG1 BS : DE : srui1
i ESTE PERE : [J0US : [RREZ : T
ODZ a MESON : mi: : I OUEKT : in:
: ORE : i ODS '. PR1E !
\'m:k : • :: : i.i: : maii; : MO
RTE : D0ILLET : PEN8EE :
whieh may he thus r< ndercd —
Here lii A oea under this i (one :
All go to the bou te where I am gone :
I Either ba ti a, frl ar :
Think of the poor dead maiden here.
. ; nothing to indicate who was the damsel Agnes here interred.
Mai in old French aometii ■' mother (mater, Roquefort in d.):
i ■, , r, the word i probably the Bame which [a used repeated!) bj
;. Hum ■
::ne, in France,
BELIEVED TO HE A MEMORIAL OF SIMON DE MONTFORT, SLAIN AT THE SIEGE OF TOULOUSE,
i he 25, 1218.
; -ih of the (isun: S feet -I inches.]
THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL INSTITUTE. 283
Chaucer and the older writers of English romance — " May," A. Sax. Maeg,
a virgin, a maiden.
June 1, 1855.
The Hon. Richard C. Neville, F.S.A., Vice-President, in the Chair.
The Rev. Jon.v Rogers, Canon of Exeter, communicated, through Mr.
C. Tucker, the following notice of an inscribed Roman tablet, in imperfect
condition, found in the wall of the church at St. Hilary, Cornwall : — ■
" On Good Friday, 1853. the church of St. Hilary was burnt down ; the
fire having been caused by the corroded state of the pipe connected with the
stove. In the course of the following year, on digging up the foundation,
a slab of granite, about 7 ft. long, and 2 ft. broad, was found, with an
inscription on the under side. It had been used as a foundation stone in
the north wall of the chancel. The letters have been obliterated in many
places by weathering ; it is therefore difficult, if not impossible, to restore
the inscription with certainty. The letters which may be deciphered
appear to be as follows : —
N . . . P . . LS
FLAT . . VS . . .
CONSTANTINO
PIO AVGD3 . .
CAES ....
DUCI
. . ONSTANTI . .
PII
ATG
FILIO
The first line is almost wholly obliterated, and the letters can only be traced
with the finger by a person accustomed to decipher decayed inscriptions ;
indeed, many of our granite inscriptions cannot be traced by the eve alone,
the aid of the finger being indispensable. The last letters of the fourth
and following lines are obliterated, and the initial C, line 7, is chipped away.
The second character in the sixth line (U?), is very questionable. It may
be observed that the letter A, in every instance, has no transverse stroke.
An account of the discovery was given in the Cornwall Gazette of Nov. 25,
1854, with an imperfect copy of the inscription."
Mr. R. Falkxer, of Devizes, communicated a notice of some remains,
assigned to the Roman period, and found near the remarkable boundary,
known as the Wansdike, in Wiltshire. About two years since, a leaden
coffin, supposed to be Roman, had been found at Roundway, in the same
county. (Arch. Journal, vol. x. p. Gl.) A similar deposit has recently been
brought to light at Headington Wick, midway between Devizes and Calne;
its interest is increased by the proximity of the site of the discovery to the
Wansdike, and to the Roman station Verlucio. In construction, this leaden
cist was like that found at Roundway, being formed of sheet lead merely
folded up and fused together, apparently, at the upper corners, without
solder. The covering was decayed as was also the bottom of the coffin.
884 PROCEEDINGS AT MEETINGS OF
but the sides were more perfect, and the stoutest part measured ahout
in. in thickness. The coffin lay X. and S. about 1' feet under the
surface, the head turned a few degrees towards the east, as had been
noticed in the interment at Roundway. The lid, which was only placed
loosely on the cist, and the margin bent down over it, had prevented any
earth falling in ; the remains found within were portions of the cranium
ancLof one of the vertebrae. I if the cist is not rectangular, as in the
QC6 formerly noticed, but wider at the head, where it measures 17 inches
in width, the angles being rounded, and it increases in breadth to 20 inches
at the shoulders; at the feet it is only 11 inches. The depth of the cist is
9 inches. Mr. Falkncr sent also a drawing of the lower portion of a cylix
of dark ware without glaze, ornamented with a broad band of huge scales,
and a line of impressed markings. (In form it resembled fig. -l.'i, Catalogue
of the Museum of Economic Geology, p. 72.) It is probably of the Castor
manufacture, the body red, the surface of a dark colour. It was found in
B field called "Bowlers," at Ileadington Wick, at a spot where there are
some indications of buildings having existed, possibly in Roman times.
Mr. James Taxes gave the following observations on the Roman moulds
used for making pottery with figures in relief, (commonly called " Samian')
illustrated by a cast of one in plaster-of-Paris : —
" Moulds for making pottery with figures in relief have been found near
Wiesbaden, among other Roman remains, and are preserved in the museums
at Wiesbaden and Bonn. There are some imperfect specimens of such
moulds in the British Museum. There are likewise examples of these
moulds in the Cabinet of Antiquities in the Imperial Library at Paris, and
fragment-, are preservi d in the -Museum of tic-tile wares at Sevres.5
44 On the subject of the fabrication of richly ornamented howls of earthen-
by Roman or Romano-British potters, I know no better account than
the following, which occurs in Mr. Roach Smith's Catalogue of his own
Museum, p. 2 1.
" * Those (bowls) which are embossed have been formed in moulds, but in
some cases the ornaments have been partly stamped subsequently. There
is also a rare variety of thi- pottery of very superior execution, the orna-
ments of which have been separately moulded and then applied to the vases.
See An lajologia, vol. wvii.; Journal of the British Archaeological Associa-
tion, vol. iv.j and I 'oil. ictanea Antiqua, vol. i.'
"The moulds found mar Wiesbaden appeared to me bo curious and
ting, on account of the information which they give respecting the
art of pottery a practised in ancient times, that I obtained a facsimile In
plaster of that which i pre erved al Bonn. It i the Bame which is men-
tioned at p. L37ofProfe or Overbeck's Catalogue of the Museum of Anti-
quities in that city. In this mould we observe a representation of Beven
semi-circular arches supported on columni . I ml. r each arch is the figure
of a boj or a beep, and the figure of a bird appears in three of the Bpandrils
bes. The border of the ve el above the arches is formed
by a rep. tition of one of the usual ornaments derived from the Greek tonic
architecture. On compari Sgun upon this moiild.it will be per-
ceived that they were all formed bj impre ing upon the sofl olaj typi oi
tic boy, the bev p, the bird, and the architectural ornaments : for thej are
mam!, tly repetitions of the same figure . and it is. a very interesting
i Brangnlart] Tr il di Arts C&amiqui , tom< I. p. 428; Atlas, p). xxx
THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL INSTITUTE. 285
circumstance that an original type for impressing the same ornament is
preserved in the British Museum.
" I hope I shall not be thought to have wandered too far from the imme-
diate object of this communication, if I offer a conjecture on the source of
the material used for making the beautiful bowls which were fashioned in
these moulds. The substance of the so-called Samian ware is so fine and
homogeneous, that the question has often been suggested, whence did the
ancients obtain clay for making their pottery ? The solution of the ques-
tion may, I think, be found by referring to the method now used in this
country to obtain clay for the fine earthenware made in Staffordshire and
Worcestershire. It is obtained from the decomposed granite of Cornwall.
By agitating the granite in large vessels filled with water, which overflows
at the top, the finer particles are carried off, and at length sink to the
bottom of the water. The deposit is then dried, packed in barrels, and
sent to the potteries for use. Let us suppose the ancients to have used a
similar process with common red clay, or brick-earth. Bricks, tiles, and
pipes would he made from it without further preparation. The very same
earth, after going through the process I have mentioned, would furnish the
material for the finest ornamental bowls and vases."
Mr. E. W. Godwin communicated a detailed account of Dudley Castle,
illustrated by plans and numerous drawings.
The Hon. W. Fox Strangways brought before the Society a communica-
tion addressed to him by M. Karl Bernhardi, of Cassel, relating to St.
Boniface, and the other early missionaries from Britain, by whom Chris-
tianity was introduced into Germany. St. Boniface was born at Crediton,
Devonshire, about a.d. G80, and he received a commission from Pope
Gregory II., in 719, to preach the faith in Germany. M. Bernhardi stated
that he is engaged in a detailed investigation, with the hope of discovering,
more especially at Fulda, materials in illustration of the history of that
period. It is affirmed that much valuable matter still remains unpublished.
He has also devoted much attention to the local dialects of Germany, of
which he has produced a general scheme, in anticipation of a more com-
plete work, in which he hopes for the concurrent aid of philologists in
all parts of that country. He suggested the important assistance which
might be derived from a similar work on the various provincial dialects of
our own country. The Philological Society had formerly encouraged the
hope that so desirable an undertaking might be carried out under their
auspices.
anttqutttrsi antr ©HarfeS at Irt evbtbttra-.
By Mr. Brackstone. — An arrow or javelin head of flint, with barbs. An
oblong implement of flint, highly polished, precisely similar to that exhibited
at a previous meeting by Mr. Bernhard Smith, and figured in this Journal,
vol. xi., p. 414. The dimensions are almost identical, and one face is in
both instances rather less convex than the other. They may have served
for flaying animals. The specimen in Mr. Brackstone's collection, as
also the arrow-head, was found in July, 1848, on the farm of Mr. Pumphrey,
at Pick Rudge, in the parish of Overton, Wilts, in grubbing up an old ash-
tree on a piece of waste land. — An iron spear or javelin, of peculiar form,
described as found in Blenheim Park, July, 1854. The entire length is
18 in., of which the blade forms 5\ in., the remainder being a round stem
VOL. XII. p p
28G PROCEEDINGS AT MEETINGS OF
or shaft, about -Ac in. in diameter, terminating in a sort of tang for insertion
into the haft.
By the Rev. T. Ilrco. — A bronze statuette of young Hercules, with the
skin of the Nemean lion thrown over his arm. Described as found at the
junction of Cannon-street with St. Paul's Churchyard.
By Professor Bi i iman. — Various Roman reliques, found during excava-
st Cirencester, comprising implements and objects of bronze, iron,
and hone, amongst which is a singular knife of iron, with the handle formed
of jet, ami a bronze clasp knife, in form of an hare pursued by an hound.
Also, a numerous collection of potters' marks on " Samian " ware, found
at ( 'minium, and some marks on Roman tiles. The former comprised the
following :— \vi;\ iim. — aksimm — noRILLI OFF — OINIY— CVOA . . IM (query ?
Cucali maun) CINIIv.;r.Ni — GEMINI P — MACS .. . — ItAROIl — mvxtvlm —
NICEPIIOR P — OF MVKKA — OP NAllsi — PATRIC1 — PECVLIAR. V — PRISCVS —
.l'vuti m. — qvinti — sA.MociNi — TITVRONIS of — viNPV.s (or Ptmpu* ?) and
several imperfect marks. On a fragment, apparently of a flue-tile, are
the letters — tppa, and on a flanged tile — arveri.
By Mr. OcTATlUS Mokcan, M..P. — A oiatorium, or portable sun-dial, of
the close of the sixteenth or earlier part of the seventeenth century. It is
remarkable as comprising a sun-dial, night-dial, compass, perpetual
calendar, a microscope or telescope, and a diminutive weathercock, serving
to indicate what the weather should be when the wind is in a certain quarter.
Several quarries of lead cast in moulds, and funned with ornamental pierced
work ; they served for ventilation, being introduced in place of quarries of
a a casement. They were obtained at Ely.
By llr.W. .1. Beenhard Smith. — A dagger with a flamboyant blade.
Date about the time of .lames I.
Mr. EDWARD FREEMAN communicated, through the kind permission of
John Vizard, Esq., of Dursley, a collection of documents belonging to that
gentleman. We are indebted to Mr. W. S. Walford for the following
abstracts : —
1. Grant by William de Ferariis, Earl of Derby (undated, circa 1200).
William de Ferariis, Marl of Derby, cave, -ranted, and continued to Henry
Fitz-William of Spondon, for his homage and service, and to his assigns
and their heirs, except religious houses, his mill of Spondon upon Derewent1
with the mill upon the tl\ of Chadesdon with the site-, and all their
appurtenances and liberties, and with all their suit of grinding their corn, and
with carriage of material to repair the mill and pool, and with the labor of
his men of Spondon and Chadesden for making and repairing the mill and
pool as they ought to do, and as in the time of his ancestors they were
aceu tomed to do ; To hold of him and his hen-, in fee and inheritance, to
lid Benryand his assigns and their heirs freelv and quiethj ; Render
i 1 1 i_r for the ame pearly five marcc of silver, and three salmons, and three
sticki of eels during Lent, for all service and exaction, Warranty of the
premises, and the fishing in the aid pool and mill, again I all pei
And that he and Ills heirs would find timber to make the said mill and pool,
and to repair the iame, in his wood of Spondon or la bis forest of Duffield.
al and confirmation the -aid Elenrv bad given him 20 marcs
.. • • . Robert de Ferariis the Earls brother, Eerbert de
1 Spondon and ( h.i'lli don an pari '■ Derwent, near Derby, east of thai town.
;. i,i Hi.- river I • ' for clu am, i < ■ excluaaa
THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL INSTITUTE. 287
Meklc, William do Redewar then steward, Jordan de Tok', William de
Scant', Henry de Ferariis, and William de Codintun, Philip de Tok', and
many others.
Seal of white wax much hroken, pendent by a braided cord of white and
green silk. Obv., a mounted knight : counter-seal, an antique intaglio with
the legend—* S. WILLELMI COMITIS DERBE1E.
2. Grant by Henry III. of the custody of the Castle and County of North-
ampton and other counties (16 Hen. III. 1232).
Henry, by the Grace of God, King of England, <kc, granted and con-
firmed to Stephen de Sedgrave the custody of the castle of Northampton,
and of the counties of Northampton, Bedford, Bucks, Warwick, and
Leicester ; To hold for his life ; and that he should have all tlie profit of
those counties for the custody of the said castle and counties, and to main-
tain himself in his service, so that the said Stephen should out of the said
counties render to the King's Exchequer the ancient rents and increase
which were accustomed to be rendered for the same in the time of King
Henry, his grandfather ; Retaining in the King's hands 15 pounds yearly
out of the manor of Thorp, extra Northampton, which the constables of the
said castle were accustomed to receive out of the same manor since the war
between King John and his Barons. Witnesses, Peter Bishop of Winton,
and II. Bishop of Ely, H. de Burgh Earl of Kent, Justiciary of England
and Ireland, R. Earl of Poitou and Cornwall the King's brother, R. Earl of
Chester and Lincoln, R. Marshal Earl of Pembroke, Radulph Fitz Nichol,
Godfrey de Craucumbe, Hugh Dispenser, Geoffrey his brother, Radulph
Mar', William de Rughedone, Henry de Capella, and others. Given by the
hand of the Venerable Father R. Bishop of Chichester, the Chancellor, at
Woodstock, 28th day of July, in the 16th year of the reign of the King.
Great seal appended, of which a considerable portion remains.
3. Fragment of a grant, the upper portion being missing (10 Edw. II.
1317).
John le Yonge granted and confirmed to Richard [le Yonge] and his
heirs, [the same house and lands probably as in the next deed ; 3] To hold
to the said Richard and his heirs ; Rendering yearly to the chief lords a
red rose at the feast of the nativity of St. John the Baptist, for all secular
services, exactions, and demands, except royal service and attendance at
the view of frankpledge held on Hock-day : Warranty cf the premises by
John le Yonge to the said Richard against all people. For which grant,
confirmation, and warranty the said Richard had given a certain sum of
silver. Witnesses, William de Kenegrave, Richard de Gardino, Laurence
Cambrey, John de Boxstede, Nicholas Uppedoune, William le Chep-
man, Robert le Fayre, John Drausper, Henry atte Mulne, Nicholas son
of Philip Rolues, freemen (liberis), John de Lynham, clerk, and many
others.
Dated at " Okie Sobbury " [Gloucestershire], on Monday next after the
feast of the Apostles Philip and James, in the 10th year of the reign of
King Edward, son of King Edward.
The seal, which was on a label, is missing.
4. Grant and release (same year).
John le Yonge of Okie Sobbury, son of John le Yonge of the same
[place] gave, granted, and quitted claim to Kicbard le Yonge, son of John
8 The greater part are the same, and most likely all.
2SS PROCEEDINGS AT MEETINGS OF
le Yonge and his brother, his right ami claim in a house called "La
Nywehous," ami a pieoe of land for a yard (curtella) within the manor of
OKle Sobbury : He also gave, granted, and quitted claim to the said Richard,
his brother, his right and claim to 5 aerea of land within the said manor :
And he also gave, granted, and quitted claim the reversion of an acre of
laud called " Douneswelles aker," and also of an acre of meadow in " Ba-
benhamea mede," which two acres Agatha la Yonge held tor her life ;
To hold the same to the said Richard le Yonge, his heirs and assigns ;
Rendering to the chief lords thereof yearly all services as appeared in
charters of feoffment between John le Yonge the father, and the said Kiehard
le Yonge/ Witnesses, William le Cheny, Thomas atte Leygrove, William
de Kenegrave, Robert le Fayre, Richard de Gardino, John de Bozstede,
ace le Cambrey, William le Chepman, John Drausper, Henry atte
Mulne, Nicholas son of Philip Rolucs, Nicholas Uppedoune, John de
Lynham, clerk, and many others. Dated at Okie Sobbury on Sunday next
after the feast of the nativity of St. John the Baptist, in the 10th year of
the reign of King Edward, son of King Edward.
The seal, which was on a label, is missing.
5. Lease (5 Bdw. III. 1331).
Richard le Yonge, of Great Sobbury, granted and demised to Thomas
ate Hulle and Matildis his wife three acres of arable land in the fields of
Great Sobbury; To hold to the said Thomas ate Hulle and Matildis his
wife for the term of the life of them or the longer liver of them, of the chief
Lords of the fee, by the services therefore due and of right accustomed :
Warranty against al! persons. Witnesses, Jordan Bisshop, John de Berkele,
Laurence de Cambrey, Richard de Gardino, John le Fayre, Henry ate
Mulle, Reginald do Stanford, and others. Dated at Great Sobbury on
Monday next after the feast of the Translation of St. Thomas the Martyr
in tin- 5th year of the reign of King Edward the third.
The seal, which was on a label, IS missing.
G. Confirmation (8 Edw. III. 1334).
Richard le Yonge confirmed to Thomas ate Hulle and Matildis his wife
.- of arable land in the fields ofOldSobbury ; To hold of him and his
k ir- or a--iLrn-, to the said Thomas and Matildis so long as they or cither
of them should live ; Rendering therefore yearly a red rose within the
octave of St. John the Baptist for all services: Warranty against all
persons. Dated at Great Sobbury on Friday in the feast oi St. John the
Baptist in the 8th year of the reign of King Bdward the third. Witni
Laurence Cambrei, Richard atte Orchard, John le Faire, Roger Cambrey,
Robert Large, and oth< i
'I he seal, which was on a label, is missing.
7. Granl (21 Rich. 1 1. 1397).
phen Anahle granted and confirmed t<» William
atte Brugge the elder all her lands and tenements in the town of Chepyng
Sobbury which she bad of the gift and feoffment of the -aid Stephen ber
father ; To hold to the said William his heirs and assigns for ever, of the
chief |.(,l(| Of the lee, l,\ t h e >- er V 1 ees 1 1| e le fn|'e d II e a lid Of right accustomed:
nty against ail persons. Witnesses, John Godestone, Kiehard atte
i I ■ \ iyre, Thomai Borewode, Henry Hunte, and others,
' In the pi i called Indented and in two parts, and lh< ■
1 John !•• Yonge then an the charters hen reiern
l'i obably ili^i .!• ed « ■
THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL INSTITUTE. 289
Dated at Chepyng Sobbury on Sunday next after tbe feast of St. Micbael
tbe Archangel in the 21st year of the reign of King Richard the second.
Circular seal broken, f inch diameter, on dark wax, suspended by a label.
The device appears to have been an escutcheon, charged with a harry
coat (?)
Legend, .. . . Dff CHAAINSS G....
8. Lease (dated Dec. 21, 4th Henry V., 1416).
Between Nicholas Peres, of Old Sobbury, of the one part, and Richard
Adames and Edith his wife of the other part, witnesseth, that the said
Nicholas had delivered, granted, and confirmed to the said Richard and
Edith all his lands and tenements, except one chamber at his own pleasure
to be selected, with free ingress and regress to (and from) the same ; To
hold the same (except what is before excepted for the life of the said
Nicholas), from the feast of St. Michael next after the date, for the term
of the life of them [Richard and Edith] and the longer liver of them ;
rendering therefore yearly to the said Nicholas for his life 33s. and 4c?.
as there specified, and acquitting the said Nicholas "penes dominum Regem
capitalcm dominum et quosque alios," ° of all services for the 3ame lands and
tenements due, and of right accustomed. Restriction on committing waste
by felling timber. Power for the said Nicholas to distrain in case the said
rent should be arrear for a month, and if no sufficient distress to re-enter.
The said Richard and Edith to find fuel (focale), and ten ewe sheep (oves
matrices) annually for the said Nicholas. Power for the said Nicholas to
take the timber. Warranty by him. Witnesses, Thomas Nelat, clerk, John
Peres, Walter Notte, and others. Dated at Sobbury on Monday in the feast
of St. Thomas the Apostle, in the 4th year of the reign of King Henry V.
The seal, which was on a label, is missing.
9. Grant (15 Henry VI., 1436.)
Thomas Brugge, the younger, of Gloucester, and Margery his wife,
gave, granted, aud confirmed to John Hayward, of Gloucester, " Gent,"
and John Ilareston, clerk, all their lands, and tenements, rents, services,
and reversions in the town and borough of Chepingsobbury in the lordship
(dominio) of Oldesobbury : To hold to the said John and John Hareston
their heirs and assigns, of the chief lords of the fees, by the services
therefore due and of right accustomed : Warranty against all persons.
Witnesses, Thomas Godcstone, Robert Welle, Richard Juelle, Walter Lye,
Thomas Vicaries, and many others. Dated at Chepingsobbury the 7th
day of October, in the 15th year of the reign of king Henry VI.
There were two seals on labels : the second is missing ; the other is
on red wax, circular, $ inch diameter ; device, a stag's head caboshed
with a sprig on each side.
10. Lease (8 Edward IV., 1468).
After reciting that John Brugge, late of Old Sobbury, by his Will,
dated 13th January, 1466, gave to John Tylly and Joan, his wife, the
daughter of said John Brugge, three burgages,6 with the appurtenances
in " Sobbury mercata," which Thomas Goughthen held, to hold to the said
John and Joan their heirs and assigns, the said John Tylly aud Joan his
5 " In regard to the lord tlie king, the " Tani erga Dominum Regem quam erga
chief lord, and every one else;" for so I capitales doniinos."
read ptnes, though this sense of it is new 6 Burgage is a tenement iu a borough,
to me. Comp. Mad. Form. Aug., p. 145.
290 PBQCEEDINGS AT MEETINGS OF
wife, delivered, demised, and granted to Agnes, late wife of the said John
Brugge, and mother of the Baid Joan, and to William Bolatre, the said
t] ree bnrgi g< - with the appurtenances ; to bold to the said Agnes and
William for the life of the Baid Agnes without impeachment of waste ;
rendering for the same yearly one red rose at the feast of the nativity of
St. John the Baptist, if demanded : of the chief lord and by all other
Bervices due, and of right accustomed. Warranty against all persons.
Witnesses, William Bolatre then chief bailiff of the borough of Sobbury,
John Longeford Bub-hailiff, 'William Burnelle, Robert Koonie, Thomas
Paynter, and others. Dated at Sobbury the LOth day of August in the
>th year of the reign of king Edward IV.
on a label: device obliterated ; never more than one.
11. Grant by John, duke of Norfolk (5 July, 22 Hen. VI., 1144).
John, duke of Norfolk, earl marshal, and of Nottingham, marshal of
England, lord of Mowbray, Segrave, and Grower, gave, granted, and con-
firmed to John, archbishop of Canterbury, Alianor his (the duke's i wife,
and Humphry, earl of Stafford, his manor and lordship of Calaghedon with
the appurtenances in the county of Warwick ;" to hold to them from the
ita-t of the nativity of St. John the Baptist then last for the life of the
said Alianor : Warranty against all persons. Jn testimony whereof, he had
caused those letters to he made patent. Given under his seal in his castle
of Framlingham, on the 5th day of July, in the 22nd year of the reign
of king II' oi v V 1.
Attached by a label is a circular seal. .°> J inches in diameter, on
red wax much broken ; which bore a shield of the arms of Brotherton,
aed with a helmet, on which was a chapeau and the Plantagenet
crest, between two ostrich feathers,* and Hanking the shield on the dexter
n escutcheon chequy for Warrenne : on the sinister had probably
been another escutcheon with a lion rampant for Mowbray. A few letters
of the legend, in old English minuscules, may be deciphered. This seal
is \erv Bimilar to that engraved in Watson's History of the Earls Warren,
vol. I., pi. iv., but it is not identical. That seal has a leather on the
■ Bide only, placed behind an escutcheon chequy. On the sinister side
i- an escutcheon with a lion rampant. Legend- bigil: k>h : iiowb :
dvcis : norf : ■ o : nottino : dni : db : uowbr: begb : goweb :
By the Rev. Dr. Oliver.- A document bearing the Beal of Edward
•■nay, third Marl of Devon, who succeeded his grandfather Hugh in
i:;77, and died in 111!*. An imperfect impression in red wax, of a
remarkably fine seal. It beare the arms of Courtenay, the escutcheon
Hi and surmounted by an belm and crest, the bush of ostrich
feathi from a c net. (in either side of the helm is a wan
with expanded wings; a small portion only of the legend remains.
Diam. 2 inches. A I o the seal of Sir Matthew Gornay, in imperfect condition,
mple remark abh bold in design; it I". i cutcheon placed
aslant (paly of Bix) surmounted by a helm and crest, a blackamoor's
aed. The legend broken away. The back-ground is filled up
" Th( r< wa an embattled mansion, the do battle at Got Ford Green with the Duke
i;,mii\ . ,-it of Hen ford
i Covenb PI be I Sandford,
the building I I iii o ■ ii., undi i i boi , M<
ii n, thence fhomaa Mowbray Duke ol Norfolk,
t ten da . t<>
THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL INSTITUTE. 291
with foliage, as if representing a wood. A representation of this remark-
able seal may be found accompanying the pedigree of the Gornays of
Somerset, in the " Record of the House of Gournav." by Mr. Daniel
Gurney, p. 591. The seals above described are appended to a document
preserved amongst Sir Walter Carew's evidences at Tiverton Castle, and
dated July 31,17 Rich. II., 1393. Also an oval seal set with apparently
an antique intaglio, the head of Mercury, seen full face and of striking
design. It is appended to a release by Baldewin de Wayford to Reginald
de Moyun, amongst the Carew evidences, and dated at Compton Basset,
Jan., 29 Hen. III., 1245.
By Mr. Alexander Nesbitt. — A collection of casts in "fictile ivory,"
made from carvings in ivory of various dates, preserved in the Cabinet des
Antiques in the Bibliotheque Imperiale, the museums of the Hotel de
Cluny, of Nismes, and of Amiens, and the collections of Prince Soltikotf,
M. Carrand, and M. Sauvageot, of Paris. The most remarkable of these
were : — From the collection of Prince Soltikoff, a diptych of Orestes, consul
of the East, a.d. 520, very closely resembling that of Clementiuus, in the
Fejervary collection.
From the^Bibliotheque, a diptych of Probus, Consul, a.d. 518. Coarse
work, and in bone, but much like the above. Also a triptych of the best period
of Byzantine art (12th century ?). In the centre, the Crucifixion with
figures of St. Mary and St. John, and small figures of St. Helena and
Constantine, and on the wings, half-length figures of saints.
From the Hotel de Cluny, four tablets, each containing two subjects :
among which are the Conversion of St. Paul, and the Martyrdoms of St.
Lawrence and St. Denis. One side of a mirror-case with figures of lovers
in pairs, some worshipping Cupid, who sits crowned and holding arrows in
his hands ; another, of a less size, with nearly the same subjects somewhat
differently treated. These mirror-cases belong to the earlier, the tablets
apparently to the latter, part of the 14th century.
From the collection of M. Sauvageot, one side of a very beautiful mirror-
case, representing a gentleman and lady playing at chess, and two other
persons looking on ; it very closely resembles the mirror-case belonging to
the Hon. Robert Curzon, engraved in this Journal, vol. viii. Date, about
1320.
From the collection of M. Carrand, a diptych, probably of the earlier part
of the 5th century : on the one leaf, Adam naming the beasts ; on the other,
subjects from the life of St. Paul. The " Flabellum de Touruus," of the 9th
century, but parts of which have been supposed to have formed portions of
book-covers of a much earlier date. A number of small figures in about half
relief, of centaurs, tumblers, players on musical instruments, chiefly of
a classical grotesque character, which form parts of a large box ; also a
singular group of figures, some of them mounted, possibly a chess piece (12th
century?). Three draught pieces in walrus ivory, one, a figure with
long hair, bound and lying on the ground, and three figures armed with
swords and kite-shaped shields standing over him ; on another, a hunter
mounted on a hare and blowing a horn ; and on the third, Dalilah cutting
off Samson's hair ; all three seem to belong to the 11th or 12th centuries.
The hilt of a dagger with figures of mounted warriors, probably German
work of the 14th century ; the two sides of a mirror-case, each with a
combat of knights on horseback, the one with swords, and the other with
lances ; one side of a mirror-case with a very curious representation of
292 PROCEEDINGS AT MEETINGS OF
knightfl arming for a tournament ; also one side of a large mirror-case repre-
senting the attack ami defence of the Castle of Love : at the top is Love
himself, crowned and with wings, and ahout to discharge an arrow ; below
him, ladies pelting the besiegers with roses, while at the bottom are knights
encountering each other with Bwords, Arc. All these mirror-cases are of
the 1 4th century : that with the preparation for the tournament is the latest
in date, ami evidently of German work.
i the Museum at Nismes, a group of two persons in half relief on a
larger BCale, and of coarser execution than usually occurs in ivory ; it
appears to have formed a part of a reredos orretable. Date, 15th century.
Prom the Museum at Araiens,a tablet representing three subjects from the
life of St. Eiemij one of them being the baptism of Clevis. Probably of the
Lull century.
By Mr. A. W. Franks. — An astrolabe of brass made by Ilumfrey Cole
in l."»74. In the matrix is engraved " a.d. (blank) Ilcnr. Trine. Magn.
] '.lit tan." There are projections of the sphere for four latitudes, all in
ind. They are, 51, 30—52, 30 (Ludlow) 53, 40—55, 00 (Newcastle,
or Carlisle), and one plate unengraved. The Alidad is ingeniously jointed
bo as to do away with the usual pin. The case is of green velvet ornamented
with silver plates with inscriptions ; on the centre of the cover is an oval
plate with the prince's feathers in a coronet formed with crosses and fleur-
de-lya alternately, and the letters II. P. From this it appears to have
belonged to Henry, Prince of Wales, son of James I. On the plates of the
are i ngraved the words, "Inter Omnes ; " and on bosses on the top of
tse, " Scientia Virtus qve Autoritas — faelicitaa Illius crescat in eter-
nuin." This interesting relique has been recently added to the valuable
collection of astrolabes preserved in the British Museum. A set of Apostle
spoons of English workmanship, made in the year 151 'J. They were in the
Bernal collection, and are now the property of the Rev. Thomas Staniforth,
of Storrs Hall, Windermere.
Mr. Pranks brought also a document from the collections in possession of
Mr. W. Maskell, being a certificate by a captive knight, Humfrey Nanfaunt,
that money bad been paid towards his redemption, and for the purchase of
the benefits of a Papal Indulgence. It is as follows : —
Humfridue NanfaunI miles, captivus inter Turcos inimicoa Jhesu Christ!,
et inter eosdem pro fide ejusdem Christi ad financiam immensam positus,
dilectis in Christo Johanni Batcock e1 A-licie uzoriejus, ao Elene Batcock,
Salutem. Sanctissimue in Christo pater et dominus noster, dominus Sixtus
J'. [pa modernus, per mas litteras apostolicae quedam Bpecialia pro relevaoione
I,,. ,, meorumque obsidum diria rinculia incarceratorum ereptione gloriose
indulsit, continenoie Bequentia. Omnibus illis, Bibi ul prefertur caritatia
intuitu mbvenientibue cum aliqua quantitate bonorum Buorum quorum-
cunque, vere penitentibua el confe i . omnium peccatorum Buorum plenariam
remiasionem auctoritate Bedia apostolice et presentium litterarum tenore
< !( dimus, roto [< ro olomita it debitU dejure bi cundum eorum posse per
i lis duntazat excepti . Eciam volumua et constituimus quod predict!
, quociens opus fuerit, licencia suorum curatorum nbtenta et benigne
^doneo confi on seculares vel reg ulares, qui, audi! ia
, Pi;,:i , eo ■'" omnibu eorum peccatorum, exceptia pre-
ere valeanti Ego que Humfridua NanfaunI miles,
• (Tectum, fateor me voi tram rocipiai e olimo-
THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL INSTITUTE.
293
Miimn, et hue vestro confessorc per vos auctoritato apostolica electo per
presens scriptum certifico. Data anno domini millesima cccc"10- lxxmo* octavo.
A seal on paper over red wax, the paper passing round to, and covering
also the hack of, the wax, where it remains almost square in form, is
attached to a slip cut half-way along the hottom of the parchment. It
bears an escutcheon, on which is a chevron ensigncd with a cross (?) between
three human heads (? heads of children, enfans) looking sinister in hoods of
mail, or helmets.1 Of the legend the name nanfan only remains.
By Mr. Aluert Way. — Impressions from a "palimpsest " brass escut-
cdieon, found, in a very decayed condition, amongst rubbish in the church-
yard at Eetcliworth, Surrey. It may have been part of a sepulchral
memorial in that church, but no slab can at present be found to which it
may have been attached. The two faces of this plate are here represented.
The more ancient, possibly engraved about the commencement of the XVth
century, presents a "merchant's mark," composed of the letter H., termi-
nating at top in two streamers, which cross so as to resemble a W. (Com-
pare marks in Norfolk Archaeology, vol. iii. pi. vii. fig. 26, pi. ix, fig. 21,
pi. x. figs. 2, 28.) The up-stroke is traversed by a bar terminating in a
cross at one end, and at the other in a symbol of frequent occurrence in
these marks, which bears resemblance to the Arabic numeral 2. Mr.
Ewing has given several examples in his collection of Norwich Merchants'
Marks, in the Transactions of the Norfolk Archaeological Society, already
cited. In default of precise information regarding the origin and import of
these devices, the suggestion may not be undeserving of notice that
numerals appear occasionally to be combined with the initials and capricious
symbols of which they are composed. In many marks there occurs a
1 Nanfun, of Trethewell, Cornwall, ex-
tinct in the reign of Henry VII., bore,
So. a chevron, cr/n. between three wings,
VOL. XII.
arg. Another bearing was, a chevron
between three gem-riuu's.
'!'!
:.V 1 PROCEEDINGS AT MEETINGS OF
symbol closely resembling tbe numeral -1. The cross-bar of a mark on a
irold ring communicated to tbe Institute by .Mr. Sully, of Nottino-bam,
!ul a 2, and at tbe otber tbe Arabic siphos or
^_^-. 0 traversed by tbe customary line across, in imitation, pro-
bably, of the Greek Theta, for which tbe character seems
to have been intended.3 Otber examples occur amongst tbe
nnmerons Merchants' .Marks obtained by Mr. Ready from
seals in tbe Collegiate Treasuries at Cambridge.9 A remark-
able similarity appears between tbe capricious charges in
Polish heraldry and tbe singular symbols known as Merchants' Marks.
Ifenestrier baa figured many such Polish coats in his Art du Blason,
(Pratique des Armoiries, p. 335.) The obverse of the escutcheon found
al Betchworth presents the bearing of the Fitz-Adrians, who held the
manor of Brockbam in the parish of Betchworth, under the Warrens. In
the visitation of Surrey by Clarencieulx, t. Henry VIII. (Harl. MS. 1561,
p. 3), the arms of Adryan, Lord of Brockbam, are given thus — Arg. two
nebuly sa., a chief chequy or and ar. The chief was doubtless derived
from tbe Warrens, whose feudal tenants, the Fitz-Adrians, or Adryans,
appear to have been. The fashion of the escutcheon here represented,
however, is of much later date than tbe time when tbe male line of the
Adrians failed, according to tbe statement in Manning and Bray's History
of Surrey, vol. ii. pp. 209, 211, namely, between L356 and 1378, when
Thomas Frowick, who married the heiresBj succeeded them. The south
Bide of the chancel at Betchworth bus belonged from time immemorial to
the manor of Brockbam, and tbe plate may have been one of several coats
affixed to Borne memorial of tbe Frowicks, there interred.
By Mr. W.W. K. Wv.n.m:. M.P Several valuable MSS., formerly in
the possession of Sir Kenelm Digby. They consist of a finely illuminated
volume, bound in red velvet, with brass bosses : on the cover is this title.
enclosed under a piece of born : — " Catons versis in Inglische and the
stories of Alexander and of ye iij.kinges of Colon in latinge writyn on
perchmint and illumnede." The " Liber Catonis" has five vignette illumi-
nations: the " Historia Alexandri" has a page illumination of two com-
partments, and twenty-four vignettes. On a fly-leaf at the beginning
of tbe book is written, —
happy till ye End :
Procede therefore aa you b< in.
■ ; I look of thy tnu Erende,
So to thy father I have bin. JhOn Cutts.
On the first page is writtten, — "Chi Semma virtu Reacoglie lama q d
Thomas < raudy."
A Folio MS., XVth century, on vellum, bound in red velvet. It contains
the History of the Passion of our Lord, translated from Latin into French
or, Docti in Theol. It hai thirty-four full pages of illumina-
tions. On tli" title appears a king receiving a book, The arms of ESngland
occur in the border, and in otber borders or initial letters are introduced the
red dragon ; the white rose en toleil ; red and white rose en soleil ; demi-
i uing below it ; red ro >-. and the portcullis. Also, the
follow of arms: Beauforl ;—.!.. a double-headed eagle displayed
m w . fht's Memoirs on the [mprc on maj be procured from
Jonrnal Kir. El. ileady,2j St Botolph'sLane) Cam-
Arch. Am., vol. IL, pp, 0 1, i brid
THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL INSTITUTE. 295
or, over all a bcndlet sa; — Az. on a fessc gu, between three foxes or wolves
org. as many roses a/eg. seeded or. And the mottoes — " cntre tenir dieu
lc vcuille ;" " entre tenir, cntre tenir." Branches of red rose often occur
in the borders. On a fly-leaf at the beginning is written, — " Jamys
beamonntt." The following occur also on the fly-leaves :
" Thys ya master Jhon farmer buke and all hys frendes."
" Tins is Syr John ffermers boke of Esteneston, of the Gyfte of Thomas
lord Waux."
At the end of the book — " goode madame when yt you thys do fynde
Forgett not me tho I come behynde. — Your louying nephew Thomas
harowdon."
" Yor humble sonc Henry Guldeford."
" Yor humble cousin Will'ym Penizon." (?)
" My lord I pray you of cherete remember me youer pouer wyff —
Elizabeth "
" George throckmorton."
" Mychaell poiltene."'
" By my Anne ffermor. — by rac Katherync fermor. — by me Mary ffarmar.
— Katherync fermor."
" James Stewarde the iij. sonne of Duke Mordor rebellyng against Kynge
James in Scotland was chased into Ireland."
Also, a monogram composed of the letters wavs. — " Lord Vaiis — En so
me conficr — Vaus."
Thomas, second baron Vaux of Harrowden, succeeded in 1523, and this
beautiful volume appears to have been presented by him to Sir John Fermor,
of Eston, Northamptonshire, who married Maud, one of his sisters.
Mr. Wynne produced also Sir Kenelm Digby's Journal, during the period
when he was admiral of the fleet in the Mediterranean in 1629 ; and a
MS. account of the descents of the Digbys, the Percys and the Stanleys.
This had sometimes been regarded as written by Ben Jonson. These
valuable MSS. appear to have passed into Mr. Wynne's possession through
the marriage of his great grandfather, Richard Williams, brother of Sir
W. Williams Wynn, the third Bart., with the daughter and heiress of
Richard Mostyn, of Penbedw, Denbighshire, who married the grand-daughter
and coheiress of Sir Kenelm Digby.
By Mr. Rolls. — A fine illuminated Service Book, an example of French
art, XlVth century. It has the original stamped leather binding in perfect
preservation, with an enamelled escutcheon on the clasp, doubtless the arms
of the original possessor (three pair of shears and a label). The name of
the binder is impressed upon the cover — " liumus (?) stundcrt me ligavit.'"
This remarkable volume had been purchased some years since at Brussels.
Mr. Rolls exhibited also several Italian medals, and a large medal of
Louis XII., king of France, and his queen, Anne of Britanny.
By Mr. Johnson'. — Two rapiers, of beautiful workmanship, also a dagger
with a shell-shaped guard, found at Taormina in Sicily, in the Theatre.
A spanner for a wheel-lock gun, and a steel mount or frame-work for a
pouch ; both are elaborately chased, and choice examples of metal work.
XVIth century. A morion of the same period, from Venice. A steel etui
and a sheath for scissors, delicately engraved, similar in fashion to that
figured in this Journal, vol ii., p. 392, and of the same date.
4 Pulteney, Margaret, sister of Thomas Lord Vaux. named Francis Pulteney.
396 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL INSTITUTE.
By Mr. Octatius Morgan, M.P. — >A portrait of Seifried Pfinzing yon
Eenfenfeld, delicately modelled in wax. Date, 1596. The Pfinzing family
were citizens of Nuremberg. — A steel candlestick lor burning rufih-candles,
from the Bernal Collection. — A sea nymph holding a shell, an example of
the bright blue-glazed ware, supposed to have been manufactured at Nevers.
— A singular object of Italian earthenware, possibly intended to serve as
an inkstand. It bean an escutcheon of the arms of Lorraine and Medici.
By .Mr. HAWKINS. — A steel key, of elaborate work, which appears, by
the arms introduced amongst the chased ornaments, to have belonged to
Charles Honore d'Albret, Due do Luynes. lie succeeded in 1688.
nil photographs were presented to the Institute by Captain Oakes,
representing subjects of Archaeological interest ; — two views of the recent
di-euvcries at Chertsey Abbey, the interments in stone coffins, pavement
tiles, and other remains there brought to light ; — views of Ely Cathedral,
Whitby Abbey, the Priory gate at Kenilworth, and of Kenilworth Castle.
Medieval Seals and Impressions from Seals. — By the Rev. J. ClUTTER-
Bl "■ k. — -Impression from a small round seal lately found near Long \\ itten-
ham, Berks. The device is that found on love-seals of the same age (XlVth
century), namely two heads respectant, a branch between them. The
legend usually reads * love me and I thee. In this instance the device
is precisely the same as on one of these amatory seals, found at Lewes,
of which an impression was received from Mr. Figg. It here, however,
represents the Annunciation, the legend being aye maria. A matrix
similar in all respects is in the Collection of the lion. R. Neville.
By Mr. POLLARD. — A small silver seal found in 18US in the grounds of
the Observatory at Oxford. The device is a Bquirrel,5 with the inscription,
i crake xoti.s. Date, XlVth century. A matrix bearing this device
and inscription, found at Komsey, is figured Gent. Mag. vol. 95, ii. p. 498.
An impression from a similar seal is represented in Oartwright'B Hundred
of Brainier, p. 71 ; it is appended to a document dated 1 155. Impression
from a brass matrix of a seal of the Cistercian Abbey of Hayles, Gloucester-
shire, found in 1821, in a field called how Garth, near Langrick, on the
. .'t a hoi t distance from Draz Abbey, in the neighbourhood of Selhv,
Yorkshire. ' It represents a monk holding in his right hand an ampulla
surmounted by a cross, and in the other hand a torch (?) This figure is
ibed in the last edition of Dugdale's Monasticon (vol. v., p. 6 i
holding a globe -urmounted hv a em . ami a seepliv; it is supposed to
Richard, Bar) of Cornwall, king of the Romans, the founder of
Hayles Abbey. It appears, however, more probable thai the globe is a
■ I containing the relique of the borj blood of Hayles, given to the
monastery by the founder in Ii''1.'*, and described as "crucem auream cum
pede de aumail." The in cription is as follows : — ~ii]iUu fiatiTiiit'
Dtona0tft(l bratr mavir tir rjajjUS. This matrix was in the possession
of the late Mr. Gleadow, of Hull. Date X Vih century. It has sometimes
been regarded a the seal of Males Owen Abbey, Shropshire, and is figured
h in Mr. Parmer Dukes' edition of Lloyd's Antiquities of Shropshire,
'. A repre entati >fthi« teal is also given in Mr. Blaauw'i History of
.. r, p. 313, srhere some notice of the relique may be found,
The squirrel was a favourite device on sits on ;> bough, the inscription being
thi XlVth and the XVth centuries. mm i fakj mi
<»M mi, no , round at Dunwk'h the i quirrel ' Bee a notice oi the discover) ol this
Qei '. c' ' i p. '■ i.''
£3ottcc$ oC Archaeological Publications.
REMAINS OF PAGAN SAXONDOM, principally from Tumuli in England. Drawn
from the originals. Described and illustrated by John Yongk Akkrman, Fellow
and Secretary of the Society of Antiquaries of London. London : J. llussell Smith.
1852—5. 4to.
It is not many years since archaeological pursuits were looked upon as
a sort of innocent trifling, very fit to be indulged in by gentlemen with
more money than wit, or clergymen not overburthened with rural duty. If
they did no good, they did at least no harm, and they amused him that
followed them, and those that laughed at him. Collections of curiosities, as
they were called, were considered as a sort of inferior collection of articles
of virtu, which only proved their owners not to possess the refined taste of
cognoscenti in Greek or Etruscan remains. Slowly however, and by degrees,
the truth became acknowledged, that these curiosities were historical
records, dating from periods too, of which no other record was to be found ;
and with the recognition of this truth, archaeology began to assume the pro-
portions of a science. It was clear enough that we knew a good deal
more about the Greeks when we read what Otfried Midler wrung from their
urns and bas-reliefs, than when we continued on the beaten track of word-
grinding with grim old Godfrey Herrmann. And so it was thought we might
turn our own archaeological treasures to account, and see if they too had
not a tale to tell, which was not written elsewhere. But from that moment
it was also necessary to collect, in a very different manner from what had
prevailed, and to look for answers to questions which heretofore no one had
thought of putting. Dryasdust was, in fact, discovered to be a dull
dog, who had fairly earned all the quizzing his aimless pains had brought
upon him. If he was thanked at all, it was for having, by a useful but
unconscious instinct, preserved here and there trifles from destruction,
which more thinking men could now compare and combine, and use for
definite objects.
Comparison and combination — these were the two levers by which the
inert mass of facts was to be moved. Induction was here also to claim its
rights, and observations to take place of crude a priori conclusions. And
so we have at last a sound footing, and can look back upon and count our
gains. "What is perhaps more valuable still, we know by what process we
can continue to advance. If we know that much remains to be done, we
have at least learnt how to do it. We must compare and combine facts,
real, definite, and not imaginary, facts : we must note resemblances and
differences, and apply to archaeology something of the principle which guides
us in comparative anatomy.
It is this which gives their value to such books as Mr. Akerman's, and
on this account we look upon his work as a boon to the English archaeo-
logist. He brings together, from a great number of different quarters,
objects whose full interest can only be duly appreciated when they are
29S NOTICES OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL PUBLICATIONS.
compared ami studied together, as they may be in his pages. They are
executed mostly in the natural size, and with the natural colours ; are, as
far as we have had tin' means of judging, scrupulously accurate in point of
resemblance, to the originals ; and the selection is such, as not only to he
of service in a scientific view, hut also to present a very interesting and
ornamental representation of the household implements and jewellery of
our Anglo-Saxon forefathers. The hook is not less a graceful adornment
of a boudoir-table, than a work which the student will consult with advan-
and satisfaction. It is natural that the objects drawn should he of a
kind attractive from their form and the purpose they were intended to
serve. A large proportion of them are articles of dress, mostly, in all pro-
bability, female dress — necklaces, fibulse, and the like ; and these are pro-
perly selected hecause in them we can best observe the state and progress
of the arts, which are a key to the social condition of a people. Thus, in
these plates we have figures of sixty-three circular or cruciform fibulse from
nt parts of England, many of which display an astonishing familiarity
with the secrets of the lapidary's and goldsmith's art, and which might
advantageously he adopted as models for brooches at the present day.
There are no less than eight representations of glass drinking vessels, one
of which is of such peculiar quality and form, that a most competent autho-
rity (Hot knowing that it was derived from a Saxon interment) pronounced
it to be Venetian, and cinque cento. We have necklaces of gold and pre-
cious stones, clasps and buckles of beautiful execution, and a variety of
articles of the toilet, including several richrj ornamented hair-combs. One
01 two plates are devoted to the representation of weapons, which arc on a
ale.
The reader will easily judge, from this sketch, how much the work con-
tain- both to instruct and interest. Every plate is accompanied with as
much letterpress as suffices to give an accurate account of the locality
wherein, and (as far as possible) the circumstances under which, the articles
represented were found ; and this is obviously the most important part of
the work ; for, without these details, the most exquisite of curiosities that
Dryasdust or Jonathan Oldbuck ever locked up from his neighbours, is
a curiosity, and nothing more : with them, it may help US to read a very
interesting chapter in the unwritten history of men.
Mr. Akerman ha- prefixed to his work a Bhorl introduction, written in a
Very JUS! and -mi ml pint, ami which will lie lead w it li pleasure a ml i lit I re- 1
even by the layman, with profil even bj the professed antiquary. He
in it upon .Mine account of the forms and modes of mortuary deposit
among the Anglo-Saxons, noticing the coincidences and distinctions
red iii graves in different part of England. Thus be is led to Bpealt
of inhumation and cremation ; of the depo it of arms and ornaments with
the dead ; of the use of coffins, or of funeral urns. And, bearing in yiew
the universal connection between funeral ceremonies and religion, he adds
a few judiciou page on the Saxon mythology.
We fear that there is not a large public demand for works of this nature, and
in too many oases the pleasure of the labour mu I be its own reward. We
cannot, however, conclude without expre ing a hope that ;i worl bo
admirably executed a this may find a wider class of readers, and that its
-.mini ml it even to those for whom its scientific character
.1. \l. K I.M I'.l.lv
I i ill l;i M 0 KOHi ' i (
i
NOTICES OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL PUBLICATIONS. 301
BRICK AND MARBLE IN THE MIDDLE AGES; Notes of a Tour in the North
of Italy. By George Edmund Street, Architect, F.S.A., Copiously Illustrated.
London: John Murray. 18.55. 8vo.
We feel sure that those of our readers who may not as yet have met
with this elegant anil agreeable volume, will feel that a service has been
done to them hy its having been brought under their notice, for although
Mr. Street's examination of the architecture of Lombardy and the Venetian
States, was undertaken with artistic and practical views, and not in order
to carry out antiquarian or historical investigations, much information
highly interesting to all architectural antiquaries will be found in it.
We have the high authority of Professor Willis for the assertion that, the
neglect of Italian Gothic architecture is an " undeserved neglect," and it
will, we think, be readily seen, that in addition to the fact that the study
of this variety of Gothic architecture is calculated, as be has so ably shown,1
to throw much light on the principles of Gothic architecture in general ;
there are many reasons why it is deserving of more attention, both from
architects and from archaeologists, than it has hitherto received: to the archi-
tect it very frequently presents novel, ingenious, and beautiful combinations
and details usually of most perfect execution, and sometimes of the greatest
beauty, while to the archaeologist an accurate knowledge of the archi-
tecture (that, as Sismondi has said, " of all the fine arts which bears the
most immediately the impress of the character of its age ") of Italy in the
13th and 14th centuries can never seem unimportant, especially when he
remembers that at that time Italy was the most advanced of European
nations in letters, in the fine arts, in the arts of manufacture and in com-
merce ; that this was the period of Dante, of Giotto, and of the Pisani.
Although Mr. Gaily Knight's splendid folios, Professor Willis's acute and
systematic treatise, and Mr. Ruskin's publications, unequalled as they are in
scrupulous fidelity of representation, have done much to place the means of
acquiring such knowledge within the reach of the English reader, there is
still ample room for more detailed information, and Mr. Street's work is
welcome as supplying this so far as Lombardy and the Venetian States are
concerned. In pursuing his object, which, as he informs us in his preface,
is " mainly to show the peculiarities of the development of Pointed archi-
tecture in Italy, and specially to show in what way the materials so com-
monly used there, brick and marble, were introduced both in decoration
and in construction," he has, in the well-chosen and admirably executed
illustrations, more than 70 in number, which the volume contains, and in
the intelligent and instructive comments and criticisms which accompany
them, given us the means of making ourselves acquainted with many little-
known, but very interesting buildings, and a great variety of beautiful
detail. We have availed ourselves of the liberality of the publisher to place
before our readers a few of the illustrations, and we have endeavoured so
to select them as to give some idea of the variety and novelty of matter
which the reader will find in the volume itself.
The west front of the Church of St. Fermo Maggioro at Verona (see cut,
Xo. I), which, according to Professor Willis, probably dates from about
1 o 1.'!, is a very characteristic specimen of its period and country, parti-
cularly as regards the alternate hands of " red brick and warm-coloured
stone," and the hoods over the tombs affixed to it ; such, also, is the north
1 In the Introduction to the " Remarks on the Architecture of the Middle Ages,
especially of Italy," 1855.
VOL. XII. u R
II. NOKTli Til Mi>. rilE CATIIKDII \ I. A I 'I. I M'i.\.\
NOTICES OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL PUBLICATIONS.
303
porch, on which Mr. Street bestows the qualified praise that it " is very
fine of its kind." The disproportion between the slendcrness of the shafts
and the mass they support, and the faulty construction which requires the
aid of connecting bars of iron, are no doubt the defects which prevent so
great an admirer of the Italian fashion of constantly using bearing-shafts
from bestowing warmer commendation upon this, the ever-recurring form
of porch in Italian churches.
In this instance it will be seen, that although brick is pretty largely
used, all the ornamental detail is executed in stone or marble. In the north
transept of the Cathedral of Cremona (see cut, No. II), we have an example
in which nothing but brick is used, either for walling or for decoration,
excepting in the doorway and its porch. Mr. Street comments upon this
and the south transept as follows : " The rest of the interior of the duomo
is all of brick, and it boasts of two transept-fronts, which are certainly
most remarkable and magnificent in their detail, though most unreal and
preposterous as wholes ; they are, both of them, vast sham fronts, like the
west front, in that they entirely conceal the structure of the church behind
them, and pierced with numbers of windows which from the very first must
have been built but to be blocked up. These fronts have absolutely nothing
to do with the buildings against which they are placed, and in themselves,
irrespective of this very grave fault, are, I think, positively ugly in their
outline and mass. And yet there is a breadth and a grandeur of scale
about them which goes far to redeem their faults, and a beauty about much
of their detail which I cannot but admire extremely. Both transepts are
almost entirely built of brick, and very similar in their general idea, but
whilst only the round arch is used in the south transept, nothing but the
pointed arch is used in the northern." ..." The date of the work is, in all
probability, somewhere about the middle of the 14th century." ..." The
tracery of the rose windows is all finished in brick."
The windows are instructive examples of the treatment of the material
for such purposes (see cuts, Nos. III. and V.), and other very beautiful
examples are afforded by the windows in the campanile of St. Andrea,
Mantua (see cuts, Nos. IV. and VI.).
In the cities of Upper Italy, the town-halls (Broletto or Palazzo Publico)
II. Brick wind
Cathedral
Brick, window, Church of S. And
M mtuu.
* *fc m r.7.v pi vu tin. &?
... r
VII. THE BROLETTO AT MOXZA.
(View of the Southern cud.
306 NOTICES OF AKCIIAEOLOOU'AL PUBLICATIONS.
form a class of edifices of the greatest interest, both in an historical and an
architectural point of view. The Italian school of Gothic architecture
appears perhaps to greater advantage in these buildings (peculiarly pic*
turesque and grand, as Professor Willis has termed them) than in the
churches ; the uses for which they were constructed allowed, or even sug-
gested, a simplicity of composition admitting of that breadth of etl'ect which
Mr. Street has well observed, seems to have heen the great aim of the
Italian architects. Lofty, open arches on the ground, and over them
windows of size proportionate to the Large hall which occupies the upper
Story, with a projecting balcony, or Kinghiera. in the centre, arc the
features, which with a tower, to contain the bell which summoned the
citizens to debate or to arms, are common to nearly all these structures.
Every traveller in Italy must recollect the fine effect of the mass of shade
in the open lower story, contrasting with the sun-lit wall above. The
Broletto at Monza (see cut, No. VII.) is a very picturesque and interesting
example nf these buildings, and has a peculiarly fine ringhiera.
The Palace of the Jurisconsults at Cremona allbrds an instance of nearly
the same composition, somewhat differently treated. Mr. Street remarks
upon it : " There is a simplicity and truthfulness of construction about this
little building which make it especially pleasing after the unreal treatment
of the great transept fronts of the Duomo. "
The Ducal Palace at Mantua presents another variety of the same com-
position, most bl autifully executed in brick. The fine windows of the
upper story arc, however, injured by the common Italian defect, an e.xce- ive
Blenderness of the shaft which divides the lights.
Our limits compel us to confine ourselves to thus merely indicating what
the volume contains, but we think that we have fully proved the assertion
with which we commenced. As archaeologists, we could have wished that
Mr. Street's architectural taste were somewhat more catholic, and that he
had been disposed to give more information upon buildings anterior or
posterior to the L3th and 11 th centuries. To his limitation of his field we
must probably attribute the absence of any notice of two methods of
employing burnt clay for architectural decoration, which occur in Lom-
bardy, viz.. the- use of discs or basins of painted and glazed earth, as in
mpanile of the cathedral, and -eviral of the churches at I'avia, and
that of terra cotta, not merely turned out of a mould, hut carefully modelled
Up by hand, as in parts of the Ospedale Maggiore a! Milan. Somewhat
more of historical investigation a- to the dates of the buildings noticed
would .eld greatly to the value id' the work, for although BUCh researches do
rm a part of the author's plan, his objecl being, as we have before
said, artistic rather than antiquarian, we cannot hut regret that tiny did
not do erver could doubtless do much to rectify
or reconcile erroneous or doubtful dates. Wo hope th estions will
ttention when be prepares to rive u . a we trust lie will one day
do. an an-., iint of the architecture of Central Italy, the district which, in
tie- opinion of many competent observer , contains the best examples of
that Italian tyle which correspond with our Decorated.
We cannot conclude without expressing that commendation of Mi'.
mirable woodcut i ti hich they bo richlj desei ve ; their combination
tincl ami intelligent rendering of detail, ami of j 1 general effect,
; • ; i if evei been equalled, ami certainlj nev< r bui pa i d.
ARCHAEOLOGICAL INTELLIGENCE. 307
Archaeological intelligence
Mr. THORPE lias announced the intention of publishing (by subscription)
the " History of England under the Norman Kings " ; or, to the accession
of the house of Plantagenet, with an epitome of the early History of
Normandy ; translated, with considerable additions, from the German
work by Dr. J. M. Lappenberg. It will form one vol. Svo., uniform with
Lappenbcrg's " History of England under the Anglo-Saxon Kings," trans-
lated by Mr. Thorpe. Dr. Pauli is engaged in preparing the continuation
of Lappenbcrg's work, and he has already brought the history down to the
death of Richard II. Subscribers to Mr. Thorpe's forthcoming work are
requested to send their names to Messrs. Taylor and Francis, Red Lion-court,
Fleet-street.
A reprint of the most important work on the history and antiquities of
Ireland, the "Annals of Ireland, by the Four Masters," has been an-
nounced by Messrs. Ho;lges and Smith, at a considerable reduction in price.
The Annals, forming seven volumes 4to., were published in 1850, at four-
teen guineas, and it is proposed, if four hundred copies are subscribed for,
to re-issue the work at the price of twelve shillings per volume, within
fourteen months, payment to be made when the entire work is finished.
The readers of this Journal are well aware of the archaeological value of the
Annals, and of the valuable notes by which the translation is accompanied.
Frequent reference has been made at the meetings of the Institute to the
work, the most authentic source of information regarding the architectural
monuments, the remarkable examples of early art, the personal as well as
general history of the sister kingdom, hitherto involved in such obscurity.
The Annals extend from the earliest historic period to the year 1616.
The valuable evidence which they alone supply in ascertaining the date and
origin of the Dunvegan Cup, the Cross of Cong, the Lismore Crosier, and
those productions of a remarkable class of early art, in metal and in
sculptured stone, must be fresh in our recollection. Those who are disposed
to encourage so spirited an undertaking in the cause of archaeology, should
forward their names as subscribers to Messrs. Hodges and Smith, 104,
Graf ton-street, Dublin.
The value of photography, as an auxiliary to archaeological purposes,
has been repeatedly urged upon our notice. A striking evidence of the
advantages to be derived from this mode of illustration, has recently been
brought before our society by one of its earliest and best friends, Mr. Charles
J. Palmer, the historian of Great Yarmouth, in the delicate reproduction of
the charter granted by King John to that town, in 1210. This admirable
example of photographic skill was provided, under Mr. Palmer's direction,
to accompany the " Repertory of Deeds and Documents relating to Great
Yarmouth, printed by order of the Town Council," of which he has kindly
presented a copy to the Library of the Institute. In connexion with the
service thus rendered to antiquarian science, as shown by Dr. Diamond,
Mr. riiilip Dclamotte and others skilled in the photographic processes, Ave
may invite attention to a Memoir read by the Rev. F. A. Marshall, of
Peterborough, at a recent archaeological meeting in that city. It sets forth
the importance of the art in its application to preserving pictorial records
of National Monuments, and is accompanied by useful practical suggestions.
808 A1IC1I AEOLOGICAL INTELLIGENCE.
This Memoir has recently been published by Messrs. Hering, 137j Regent-
The Journal of the late Rev. Bryan Faussett, during the formation of his
highly valuable collections which now enrich the museum of Mr. Mayer, at
Liverpool, will shortly he delivered to the subscribers. Mr. C. ROACH
Smith has added copious notes and an introduction to this instructive
record, which will bo accompanied by twenty plates and several hundred
; its, under Mr. Fairholt's direction. The impression is limited, and
subscribers' names should be sent without delay to Mr. Roach Smith, who
announces also, in immediate preparation, a quarto volume on " The Roman
Antiquities of London,"' copiously illustrated. The issue will be limited to
subscribers, to whom the price will not exceed two guineas. The volume
will comprise architectural and sculptured remains, inscriptions, wall
paintings, Ac, with the more remarkable reliques, procured through Mr.
Roach Smith's unwearied exertions, in his own museum. Since the earnest
desire of archaeologists in England, that such collections should be preserved
in some National depository for public advantage and instruction, will again,